Tesla offers 1st incentive in owner referral program

If so, he had an idea (a “secret weapon”) that would both do that and stick it to the stupid, greedy dealerships working to keep or kick Tesla out of their states. “New orders must be placed prior to October 31, 2015”. And in a conference call with reporters, Musk also pointed out that the reason his company devised this referral program was to get around the auto maker’s difficulty in setting up stores in states that have banned Tesla from direct sales.

Karl Brauer, an analyst at automotive-data company Kelley Blue Book, said Tesla is going after the neighbors of rich Tesla owners, aiming to strengthen its grip on its wealthy clientele rather than reach into less-affluent markets.

Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) delivered its first electric vehicle Model S to Australia toward the end of 2014, which was later than the usual deliveries of the company. The buyer will get a $1,000 discount, while the Tesla owner who provided the link will get a $1,000 credit toward vehicle service, Tesla gear or the purchase of another vehicle in the future.

Want to save money on your next Tesla purchase, like the forthcoming Model X pictured above?

According to that analysis, only a quarter of new Model S owners earned less than $100,000, Edmunds.com said Wednesday.

“This is a low-cost way to try to continue to grow sales”, said Ben Kallo, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co., who has the equivalent of a buy rating on Tesla. The electric automaker will provide a free Model X to the first person to make 10 referrals in North America, Europe and Asia.

TeslaTesla is tapping the power of its owners to sell more cars and reduce its costs. Those who wrack up five referrals score an invite to the grand opening party for the Tesla Gigafactory battery plant in Nevada next year.

“We’ve been heavily skewed towards the male demographic and I think that’s mainly due to probably [the media] more than anything”, Walker said.

It was also previously reported by Autocar that Tesla’s chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen, said that the new model will have a “more distinctive styling” compared to the standard Model S.

“Customers, who are not salespeople, can refer their friends – there’s no rule against that”, Musk added. But if you’re in the market for a brand-new Model S and happen to know someone with a Model S already, perhaps now’s the time to hook up for a test drive.