Cheap enough for what? They sell all they can make, and recently have been increasing prices as order backlog has been expanding. And that's without the lower cost Chinese-designed vehicle yet being on the horizon. And despite the higher up-front cost, EVs have much lower running costs than ICE vehicles ("fuel" and maintenance costs, plus future resale value).
Evidence? EV's have a much simpler (and maintenance free) drivetrain than ICE vehicles.
Yes there have been some cosmetic quality issues in the past (panel fit, paint quality etc) especially during the early production of a new model, but drivetrain reliability is not an issue, and the other manufacturing quality issues have been quickly resolved.
Yes there have been some cosmetic quality issues in the past (panel fit, paint quality etc) especially during the early production of new models, but drivetrain reliability is not an issue, and other manufacturing quality issues have been quickly resolved as production ramps.
Am I correct to assume you have never driven a Tesla?
Yes, "fancy driving aids" are standard on all current Tesla models. "Self-driving" is an additional software charge (one-time or monthly subscription). The hardware is standard on all current Tesla cars, and I assume on any future low-cost small Tesla as well. No doubt the autonomous driving is work in progress, but but it's pretty astonishing already. Perhaps you could check out progress reports from testers to see what it's actually like:
Yes - they have missed the boat.
Yes cheaper batteries are part of the picture. So are lower "fuel" and maintenance costs - EV running costs are much lower than equivalent ICE car. Tesla has access to low-cost mass-produced batteries through its in-house manufacturing and relationship with Tier-1 suppliers such as Panasonic and BYD. Toyota doesn't mass-produce batteries, and hasn't needed to since it is still trying to save its ICE vehicle market from disruption. It won't end well for them.
And did I mention that Tesla is selling as many Model 3s in Australia in 2021 as Toyota Sells Camrys.
That's a big "if", and Toyota is showing little desire to transition from internal combustion engines, presumably to avoid the cost of writing off their investment in ICE-vehicle and drivetrain manufacturing facilities. And having a lithium supply chain is not the same as having a battery supply chain.
Certainly Tesla has suffered supply chain issues like all other car makers, but it has continued to grow production during COVID while many (?most) other major manufacturers have been forced to reduce production. It is expanding production in its Shanghai factory, and is about to start production in its new Texas and Germany factories that will likely increase its worldwide production to 2 million vehicles per year by the end of 2022. This follows 500,000 vehicles made in 2020, and likely 900,000 or more in 2021. That is hardly being "behind the game when it comes to the supply chain". Not to mention that Tesla makes more of the components of its cars in-house that some other car makers, for example seats, glass and batteries, and designs its own self-driving chips and associated software.
