[grizzles]

I don't think Tesla would get enough out of the deal since product changes require factory revamps that are hugely expensive due to all the write offs.

It's an awesome idea though. I wonder if it could be adapted slightly. Maybe a related one would be for Tesla to buy a new battery factory / batteries or a massive amount of cobalt+lithium with equity. Those would all save them a ton of cash in the short term.

[amluto]

I think that modern car assembly lines are designed to be very adjustable. Big car companies introduce new body shapes all the time, and it’s no big deal. And they already have full supply lines to build seats with seatbelts, seats with airbags, trunks, sunroofs, etc. The only major difference between a Model 3 and, say, a new variant of any other sedan is the drive train and battery. Tesla could have focused on that and let existing experts built the rest of the car.