Will Many Drivers Exercise Tesla's 3-Month Lease Exchange?

I have some new data regarding the recent Tesla lease program (see below) with a 3 month lease escape that might interest you. This insight is courtesy of Scot Hall and Swapalease.com. Scot is watching the Tesla announcement closely since, for many years, he has observed trends regarding "when" drivers look to escape luxury leases in Tesla's price range.

Most Tesla Lease Exchanges Will Happen In First 4-8 Months

Under Tesla's new program, lessees have the option to return their Model S within the first three months if they are unsatisfied. Scot Hall from Swapalease.com believes many will take advantage of an early out, but not within the first three months of vehicle possession. Tesla is playing a slight role in this decision, disqualifying drivers from immediately leasing another Tesla if they do return in the three-month window.

However, a closer look at luxury lease exchange trends on Swapalease.com shows most Tesla's will be transferred within the first 4-8 months.

* All vehicles on Swapalease.com average an exchange window during the first 12-14 months of vehicle possession.

* For luxury vehicles similar to the Tesla Model S, such as the BMW 7-Series or Mercedes-Benz S Class, most drivers look to exchange within the first 10-12 months of possession.

* Swapalease.com believes the exchange window for Tesla's Model S will be between 4-8 months because of heightened interest in upgrading, and to avoid the 3-month return "no-lease" penalty imposed by Tesla.

* Swapalease.com believes Tesla will have a shorter window of exchange largely because drivers will be looking to upgrade their vehicle/technology sooner than other luxury makes.

* Swapalease.com recently received its first Tesla Model S listing in its lease transfer marketplace, and the lessee listed the vehicle after just four months of possession. Demand for the vehicle is healthy, though, as consideration is 350% higher than that of its other luxury competitors on the site.

"The fact that many will look to exchange a Tesla in such a short amount of time doesn't mean it's an unsuccessful lease program," said Scot Hall, Executive Vice President of Swapalease.com. "In fact, it might be the opposite. A healthy exchange rate on a lease keeps buyer demand healthy at all levels of the automotive channel."

Swapalease.com<http://Swapalease.com is the nation's largest car lease transfer marketplace, allowing drivers to exchange their lease with someone else even if there are several months left on the contract. The company expects to help roughly 12,000+ drivers nationwide exchange their lease in 2014.

Significantly Improved Leasing for a Tesla with US Bank

By Elon Musk, CEO

Tesla is pleased to announce that US Bank, which has a much lower cost of capital than us, is now offering very compelling leasing for Tesla buyers in the United States. This will lower monthly lease payments by as much as 25% on a new Model S. Detailed info here.

Leasing now also comes with the Tesla happiness guarantee. If you don't like our car for any reason in the first three months, you can just return it and your remaining lease obligation is waived. The only catch is that you can't then immediately lease another Model S. Upgrading early is no problem if you want to do that, but there is a pass-through fee to cover the new vs used value difference.

As always, leasing a car with Tesla involves no signatures or paperwork, unless required by your state DMV. You just read the super simple terms & conditions on the center screen, tap once and it is done.

Also, there is no need to come to a Tesla store to order our car. It takes less than 5 minutes to order a Model S at the TeslaMotors.com website, just like any normal buying experience on the Internet. You enter your info, specify when you want the car to arrive and it will be delivered to your local Tesla service center for pickup. If one of our service centers isn't conveniently close, we will deliver it directly to your home or business location anywhere in the United States.