On Mar. 1, electric car manufacturer Tesla Inc. out of the blue announced massive price cuts to its top-of-the-range Model X sport utility vehicle, in one fell swoop chopping NT$3.06 million — a whopping 46 percent — off the price. Some existing owners staged an angry protest, complaining they have been played like a fiddle by Tesla and are seeking compensation.
On Mar. 4, responding to owners’ protests and claims for compensation, Tesla said: “This price adjustment is a global price cut; we have received customers’ feedback but we are not able to provide any further information at this stage.”
When Tesla published global price reductions on its official Taiwanese Web Site on Mar. 1, the price of the entry-level Model S was reduced from NT$3.309 million to NT$2.45 million, while the long range version was reduced from NT$4.492 million to NT$2.598 million and the P100D high performance version dropped in price from NT$6.389 million to NT$3.06 million. Additionally, the Model X P100D high performance version fell from NT$6.67 million to NT$3.6 million, a reduction of NT$3.07 million.
Photo: CNA
照片：中央社
One Tesla car owner said helplessly: I bought a car worth NT$6 million, only to read in the news the next day that the car was now worth only NT$3 million, exactly half the value of the original purchase price — I could have bought two cars at the new price. It feels like having NT$3 million stolen from you in the middle of the night — am I really supposed to just stay silent and suck it up?
Some Chinese Tesla owners are threatening that if Tesla does not announce compensatory measures for existing owners, they will launch a lawsuit. Dozens of Taiwanese Tesla owners went to Tesla Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei’s Neihu District to protest and demand compensation, yet to date they have not received a positive response from the company. Tesla’s chief executive Elon Musk has announced that owners who purchased their Tesla vehicles before the price reduction can upgrade to either the company’s Autopilot self-driving assistant or the Full Self-driving Capability at half the normal price. However, due to legal restrictions particular to Taiwan, this compensatory offer will not be made available to Taiwanese owners.
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
Photo: CNA
照片：中央社
特斯拉電動車三月一日全球無預警大降價，台灣頂級的Model X車款更一口氣降價約三○六萬元，降幅高達百分之四十六，舊車主群情激憤抗議被當「盤子」，期爭取補償。
對於台灣舊車主抗議爭取補償，台灣特斯拉本月四日只表示，「這次價格調整是全球性的降價，我們也收到了客戶的反饋，但不好意思，目前這邊沒有其他訊息可以分享給您。」
特斯拉三月一日調降全球價格，台灣官網公佈價格，Model S入門款由三三○‧九萬元降為二四五萬元，長里程版四四九‧二萬元降為二五九‧八萬元，Model S P100D極速性能版從六三八‧九萬元降到三○六萬元，MODEL X P100D由六六七萬降至三六○萬元，調降三○七萬元。
一位車主無奈表示，前一天買了一台六百萬的車子，隔天看新聞才知自己買的車子價格變成三百萬，直接對半砍，等於後面繳的錢還能再買一台，一夜之間像是被搶了三百萬，要悶不吭聲嗎？
有中國車主揚言特斯拉若對舊車主沒有補償措施將提告；台灣數十位車主至特斯拉內湖總部抗議，要求補償，至今也尚未得到正面回應。特斯拉執行長伊隆·馬斯克雖然宣佈所有在降價前購買特斯拉的車主，可以半價購買Autopilot自動輔助駕駛系統或全自動駕駛功能系統，但台灣受限於法令，該補償措施在台灣並不適用。
(自由時報記者楊雅民)
FOLLOW UP
讀後練習
Tesla’s rethink
On Feb. 28, Tesla Inc. announced it would close a large number of its car showrooms worldwide and move to online-only sales as a way to fund significant global price cuts. However in a fresh blog post published on its Web site on Sunday, the company announced something of a u-turn. Tesla now says that following a review, it has decided to “keep significantly more stores open than previously announced.” In order to achieve this, Tesla says that prices will be going back up, by about 3 percent on average worldwide.
Tesla also says it will hold pre-increase prices for one week until March 18, and the increases will only apply to the Model S and X and high-end versions of the Model 3.
(Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
A: Apart from megahit “KPop Demon Hunters,” what else is worth watching? B: The new shows featuring four top-tier actors – Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo, Yang Yang and Li Xian — are all popular. A: Yang’s TV drama, “The Immortal Ascension,” is definitely one of the summer sizzlers. Some praise it as the Eastern edition of the glorious “Harry Potter” series. B: Yeah, the costume fantasy drama is about a young man’s journey to immortality. All the magic powers and magical tools in the show are just stunning. A: Let me go stream it now. I wanna
A: Wow, animated fantasy film “KPop Demon Hunters” (KDH) has become Netflix’s most viewed film ever. B: Isn’t that the movie about a K-pop girl group secretly serving as demon hunters? A: Yeah, and its theme song “Golden” was No. 1 on the Billboard chart. B: The hit performed by HUNTR/X — the girl group from KDH — has inspired a “Golden challenge,” as celebrities are racing to cover its sky-high notes. A: Cool, let’s try it out. A: 哇，動畫電影《KPop獵魔女團》近日已成為網飛上觀看次數最多的電影。 B: 這部電影不是關於某韓流女團，成員秘密擔任惡魔獵人的故事？ A: 對，主題曲《Golden》更勇奪告示牌單曲榜冠軍呢！ B: 該曲由電影中的女團「HUNTR/X」所演唱，甚至還掀起一股全球《Golden》大挑戰︰一堆名人挑戰翻唱該曲飆高音。 A: 酷喔我們也來挑戰吧。（By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
An automated human washing machine was one of the highlights at the Osaka Kansai Expo, giving visitors a glimpse into the future of personal hygiene technology. As part of the event, 1,000 randomly selected visitors were given the chance to try out this cleansing system. The machine operates as a capsule-like chamber where warm water filled with microscopic bubbles gently washes away dirt. The 15-minute process also includes a drying phase, removing the need for users to dry themselves manually. Equipped with advanced sensors, the device monitors the user’s biological data, such as their pulse, to adjust water temperature and other settings
Firefighters might face an increased risk of developing “glioma,” a type of brain cancer, due to certain chemicals encountered on the job. A recent study analyzed glioma cases and found clear connections between the genetic patterns of affected firefighters and their exposure to these harmful substances. The study found that firefighters exhibited significantly higher levels of specific mutational signatures in their glioma cells compared to individuals in other occupations. These signatures — unique patterns of genetic changes in DNA — help scientists trace the source of mutations. Earlier research has associated these mutations with certain chemicals found in fire
RSS