Elon Musk has officially announced "Part Deux" of his master plan for Tesla
Tesla's competitors have certainly stepped their game up since the introduction of the hugely successful Model S. However, even with electric alternatives like the BMW i3, Chevrolet Bolt, Ford Focus, Nissan Leaf, and others, it has been difficult to match the same sleek appeal and cost efficiency that Tesla has been able to offer. From the viewpoint of Tesla's competitors, Musk's announcement outlines some audacious goals that, in the mind of someone as driven and proven as himself, certainly pose a threat to their own electric offerings. After single-handedly becoming the only American car entrant in almost a century, it's hard to imagine Tesla and its founder not pushing forward to reach whatever daunting goals they set for themselves.
After the announcement of Part Deux on the 20th, the company's stock saw a dip to $220.50 a share. It has since returned to the pre-announcement price of roughly $229. However, this decrease hardly seems like much compared to the drop that occurred on June 22nd, after the SolarCity acquisition offer was announced. Yet, the stock has recovered relatively quickly after both incidents, and generally speaking it looks as if consumers have not lost much faith in the company. This has also been true following news of a May 7th fatal crash involving a Tesla running on autopilot. After consumers learned that the driver had been speeding and that this was the only such accident in Tesla's history, it became apparent that the autopilot was not completely to blame. This, coupled with ever-dropping technological component prices, rising trust in autonomous vehicles, and growing commitment to self-driving regulations has demonstrated that the future of Tesla autopilot is bright. The narrative surrounding Tesla now appears to be that Elon Musk is sticking to his guns and pushing forward with his master plan for the company despite recent setbacks. And with a public excited for new upcoming car models, solar roofs with integrated battery storage, and safer self-driving capabilities, it will be easy to join in on the hype.