Nonetheless, despite being lauded by celebrities for its use of “green” energy, Tesla is not everybody’s favorite corporation, and the news that the company appears to be hiding thousands of vehicles in different locations in California has many wondering what exactly Elon Musk – Tesla’s CEO – is up to.
As reported by Zero Hedge, an email Musk sent to his staff in which he stated, “Not only did we factory gate 5000 Model 3’s, but we also achieved the S & X production target for a combined 7000 vehicle week!” lit a fire under a group of Twitter Tesla sleuths, prompting them to discover just what the term “factory gate” – a term not previously used by Musk – could possibly mean. (Related: Is Elon Musk selling HYPE rather than reliable vehicles?)
Twitter sleuths on the trail
A Twitter sleuth with the handle @IspyTSLA took up the challenge of discovering exactly what message Musk might have been conveying to his staff, and didn’t give up until he discovered that the 5,000 vehicles were sitting in a field at 500 E Louise Ave, Lathrop, California. The tenacious sleuth also discovered that the premises being used to house the vehicles had become available for lease just six months earlier, indicating that Tesla had likely hired it very recently.
Speculation has been rife as to why the vehicles are being hidden. @IspyTSLA’s tweet that “There is so much inventory here it’s crazy,” caused some to wonder whether the company might be using the premises to temporarily hide vehicles that should be “off the books.” Video footage collected by @IspyTSLA seems to show the vehicles just sitting out in the open, unprotected from the harsh California sun.
A second sleuth reported finding a “vast pile” of Tesla Model 3s near the Burbank Hollywood airport. (Related: Why to Tesla electric cars keep bursting into flames and colliding with other vehicles?)
What is Elon Musk up to?
Zero Hedge’s Tyler Durden made some suggestions as to what he thinks might be going on:
But why stash the cars there? Is it to optimize net working capital and give investors - and auditors - the impression of more liquidity than is actually available?
Surely this will, or should, be one of the "boring" questions asked on the company's conference, if PricewaterhouseCoopers doesn't ask first.
Meanwhile, Tesla already had to fend off a downgrade from Needham this morning, who warned that Model 3 refunds were moving faster than deposits.
Musk’s recent Twitter attack on one of the brave divers who helped save the team of young boys trapped in a cave in Thailand, in which he accused the diver of being a “pedo guy” after the poor man dared to say that Musk’s plan for a mini submarine would never have succeeded in getting the boys out, has already gravely affected his popularity. The latest finding that he has been stashing vehicles all over California will simply add to his reputation for shadiness.
Discover more about what Tesla is really up to at Brighteon.com.
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