Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Tesla investor says Detroit 3 has lost electric car war, should go build flying cars instead

Tim Draper, co-founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a multi-billion venture capital firm that supports Tesla, came to Detroit on Thursday slinging either inspiration or insults, depending on what side of the fence you sit on.

"Don't live in your reality distortion field here in Detroit," Draper told the Detroit Free Press in an interview during Teleconomy conference at Wayne State University. "You've got to look at it and say, 'Yeah we could do something here. We can innovate.'"

"Create a flying car," he added. "Create something different because you've lost the electric car battle. See if you can win another."

Accord to Draper, Detroit's automakers are just too far behind to be competitive in the EV field: "They have not innovated nearly enough in the auto industry here... they really should wake up."

Of course, given that Draper and his VC firm are big Tesla backers, it's perhaps natural that he would prefer that potential competitors would step aside and give Tesla Motors some breathing room, especially as the company has never turned a profit.

Of course, the Palo Alto-based Tesla says it will sell 5,000 examples of its all-new 2013 Model S electric sports hatch this year. The well-reviewed car is just getting underway, having built over 100 units so far (it has orders for more). Next year, Tesla projects it will sell 15,000 units and the company's head, Elon Musk says the carmaker will finish in 2013 in the black. Of course, that doesn't include all of the losses it has incurred so far.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/14/t...ar-war-should/

Jewcano

iTrader: (4)

As fun as it would be to have flying cars......I would NEVER want to see it. It would be 9/11 daily as people would be losing control and flying into buildings or highways 'fwi' (flying while intoxicated) or texting while flying.......

American's aren't the best drivers in the world......we struggle with 2 dimensions as it is....throw in the 3rd dimension (up and down) and you have a recipe for disaster....

GFerg

LOL. Shots fired!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

sounds like the 'investor' is telling detroit - hey, buy tesla so i can get my money back.

Ty419

Hard to take this guy seriously when he presents himself to the public looking like that.

RocketGuy3

iTrader: (1)

If it ever happened, then by that time, the things will be fully autonomous.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

people can barely drive in 2 dimensions, now you want to give them a third?

jadu

iTrader: (42)

either he's got a lot of money, or he's got a lot money

Tesla needs to build a full-size pick up truck and a muscle car or tell their investors to shut up