I remember there were a couple of Model 3s unveiled on stage at the announcement but they certainly weren’t revealed in much detail. Product specs were 5–6 bullet points, acceleration, range, options and pricing were openly vague.

But me and the others who paid a deposit all believed we understood what Musk’s moonshot goals were, what his near term capacity to deliver on a commitment were, and we all knew happy, evangelising Tesla customers who raved about the product and the ownership experience.

That’s why we were all prepared to commit to buy a car none of us had seen detailed photographs or video of, seen reviews of, test driven or seen in a dealership window — belief in the company’s ability to execute in the near-term and make continued progress against the moonshot goals in the medium term.

Industry analysts and pundits criticising Tesla’s revenues, lack of profits and shipping volume are missing the point: Tesla loses massive amounts of money on ensuring it turns every Telsa owner into a passionate advocate for the brand. Tesla may never need a dealer network — Tesla’s customers sell Tesla’s cars.