Tesla raises prices on cars already bought

Tesla Motors customers who are still waiting for their 2008 electric sports cars will have to pay more than expected to get what they ordered.
About 400 people who put deposits on the luxury cars will now have to pay an extra $5,300 to get all the options that previously had been included in the base price. In addition, the destination charge will rise by $1,000.
Keep in mind that the base price for Tesla's 2008 roadster ranged from $92,000 to $98,000, depending on when customers placed their orders.
Auto industry analyst Jesse Toprak said he couldn't recall another carmaker changing the price on cars that had already been ordered. But Tesla customers, who are shelling out a lot of money for a unique car, probably won't back out, he said.
"These buyers are typical early adopters who are probably going to deal with this situation a whole lot better than people buying typical cars," Toprak said.
Tesla, which just started shipping its groundbreaking electric cars last year, has been trying to drive down its production costs and improve its profit margins. The credit crisis forced Tesla, based in San Carlos, Calif., to cut staff last fall and slow down plans for its next model, a $60,000 sedan.
Almost 400 people are still on the waiting list for Tesla's 2008 roadster. The company notified them of the pricing changes last Friday, and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk will meet with some customers in northern and southern California next week.
"None of them has canceled yet, and we certainly hope they don't," said Tesla spokeswoman Rachel Konrad. "But we can understand if they're upset."
Tesla has applied for $400 million in federal loans for automakers, and the changes will help those applications by putting the company on more solid financial footing, she said. And in the end, the customers have a vested interest in seeing Tesla survive.
"No one at this company made this decision lightly," Konrad said. "But we felt this helps guarantee the long-term viability of this company. One of the things our customers are concerned about, and rightfully so, is whether Tesla will be around a year from now, five years from now, 10 years from now."
The pricing changes cover two items:
-- The "high-power connector," which can recharge the car's battery in 3 1/2 hours. To get it, customers must now spend an extra $3,000. Without it, dead batteries will take up to 37 hours to fully recharge.
-- Forged alloy wheels. These will now cost an extra $2,300.
The changes apply only to 2008 roadsters. Customers who ordered the 2009 roadster already had to pay $5,300 above the $109,000 base price to receive those options.

E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker(at)sfchronicle.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com.

Must credit the San Francisco Chronicle