Crosley, Playboy, Tucker, Kaiser-Fraser, Delorean and now Tesla?

**renf** · April-20-18, 06:00 PM

In the years since World War II, several new firms have produced modest numbers ofvehicles but failed to get into or sustain mass production. Crosley assembled about 26,000 at their plants in Muncie; Playboy, 96 cars in Buffalo; and Tucker, 51 in Ypsi. Kaiser-Frazier assembled more than 60,000 in Ypsi and Toledo if you include the Henry J and Allstate. DeLorean's total production at Dunmurry sommay have reached 9,000.
However, none of these firms sustained substantial production for long and all of them disappeared from the ranks of vehicle manufacturers. Tesla deserves accolades for getting into mass production, but will they join this list of orphaned car companies?

**ABetterDetroit** · April-20-18, 10:30 PM

A answer would be Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, Honda, Fiat/Chrysler, Renault, Groupe PSA, Suzuki, Daimler, BMW, Mazda.

Yes, Tesla has a very good chance of carving out their market share. Others did it with a lot less cash in the bank that Tesla already has.

Anyone who has seen those booster rockets land themselves and still thinks that Elon Musk is just a huckster should get back on their medication. He made NASA throw their book on how to get payloads into space right out the window because his Aero Space company is so much more economical and technologically advanced.

**Richard** · April-21-18, 07:37 AM

Back in the day the space program needed semiconductors but none were advailable so the government funded/created Silicon Valley for the innovation.

Tesla was created at the time the space program was so defunded it was about not to exist anymore.

Tesla is the same situation many years later,they have received 4.9 billion in government funding to advance technology,which is really no different then the loans the big three received in order to advance the whole smart car thing,people thought they were bailouts.

Tesla has also decided that the whole automated production verses humans is not all it is cracked up to be and is actually replacing robots with humans.

The semi conductor changed the world as we know it,imagine what Tesla will do.

There are a lot who disagree with the Tesla model and are comparing it with the solara mess but Tesla is into many different advancements,solar,space,high speed rail,automated highways etc.

I think if Mr Tucker had the same advantage back then as far advanced as he was,the cars of today would be nothing like they are.

Even if Tesla does not make one more car,which is a small percentage of what they do,they have put out so much inovation behind the scenes the revenues will still be there.

They were not really set up as a car company,the car was just the result of the technology applied in a real world situation.

**Lowell** · April-21-18, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by ABetterDetroit

A answer would be Volkswagen, Toyota, Hyundai/Kia, Nissan, Honda, Fiat/Chrysler, Renault, Groupe PSA, Suzuki, Daimler, BMW, Mazda

Those are all established companies. I believe the question of the OP referred pure startups.

Tesla definitely has a good chance to survive. It has already produced more cars than those above mentioned startups combined. Last quarter, I found, they produced 40K. They have an immense order backlog and sufficient investor patience. They have a powerful brand, that like Apple does, will allow them to charge a luxury premium.

Beyond the glitz cars are mostly about suspensions, ignition systems, transmissions and on and on. Getting all those to work together, and not fail, are challenges. Will Teslas turn out to be nickel-dime-you-to-death cars with time wasting visits to the shop? If that doesn't happen Tesla is on its way.

**Lowell** · April-21-18, 08:49 AM

On a related side note, I think Tesla's long term biggest money maker might be their Powerwall. This is a solar charged whole house battery that has the potential to take millions of homes off the grid.

So, unlike the car companies mentioned in the OP, Tesla has other legs.

**Hermod** · April-21-18, 08:56 AM

We have lost a lot of longer lasting American brands as well:
Hudson, Nash, Studebaker, Packard, DeSoto, Plymouth, Imperial, Mercury, Edsel, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Hummer.

**ABetterDetroit** · April-21-18, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Those are all established companies. I believe the question of the OP referred pure startups.

Tesla definitely has a good chance to survive. It has already produced more cars than those above mentioned startups combined. Last quarter, I found, they produced 40K. They have an immense order backlog and sufficient investor patience. They have a powerful brand, that like Apple does, will allow them to charge a luxury premium.

Beyond the glitz cars are mostly about suspensions, ignition systems, transmissions and on and on. Getting all those to work together, and not fail, are challenges. Will Teslas turn out to be nickel-dime-you-to-death cars with time wasting visits to the shop? If that doesn't happen Tesla is on its way.

I agree with you Lowell in that Tesla’s backlog of ordered cars and the patience of the buyers is unprecedented and will make them a major player in the industry in the future.

Fair point on Chrysler but the German and Japanese companies where completely destroyed during the war and the ruins of what was left of them really were not much different than a start up company. Little money and even less production facilities.

**Meddle** · April-21-18, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Richard

Blah blah blah bad government blah ...

Tesla is the same situation many years later,they have received 4.9 billion in government funding to advance technology,which is really no different then the loans the big three received in order to advance the whole smart car thing,people thought they were bailouts.

Blah blah blah bad government blah ...

Why did I know that was a Tricky Dick post before I even looked back at the ID?

**Richard** · April-21-18, 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Why did I know that was a Tricky Dick post before I even looked back at the ID?

obviously your not the sharpest tool in the shed,everything I posted is easy enough to verify through a simple search,to make it easier you can even search how to perform a search or even how to post something relevant to the discussion.There is even a how to section within this web site.

I do not know,maybe get a dog or a cat or even a rubber ducky to help occupy your time instead of thinking about me.It is kinda creepy in a way.