Finance: Tesla is offering a secret special deal to some owners (TSLA)

Active owners who get people to buy new Teslas can pick up the next-generation Roadster for a discount. When Tesla finally builds it.

Tesla has a referral program that gets existing owners to convince other people to buy new Model S and Model X vehicles. In return, they can work their way up a ladder of special rewards. The program has been in place since late 2016.

Some owners are evidently referring so many new owners that they've unlocked a heretofore unknown perk: the opportunity to buy the as yet un-revealed new Tesla Roadster for a 10% discount, according to Jalopnik's Justin T. Westbrook, via Teslarati.

Teslarati describes the reward thusly, which was discovered in the Tesla app:

The Model X-owning family behind the community’s fastest growing YouTube channel Like Tesla sent Teslarati screenshots of their Tesla app, revealing a never-before-seen ‘Secret Level’ behind the app’s ‘Loot Box’ feature.

Like Tesla, who received public acknowledgement by Tesla during last month’s VIP Factory Tour for having referred the most Model S and Model X sales on a global level, tells us that Tesla must have unlocked access to the Founder’s Series next generation Roadster on Monday, as it was not available just a day prior.

Initially, the double-secret Roadster reward seemed like it might be a put-on buried deep in the Tesla app, but Tesla confirmed that it's for real.

A Founder's Series Roadster would be among the first new vehicles built when Tesla get around to revamping its original car, a zippy all-electric two-seater than proved an EV could be far more than a glorified golf cart. I'm a big Roadster fan; it was the first Tesla I ever drove and it's still my favorite.

Very active referring owners, as Jalopnik noted, could actually get a free next-gen Roadster if they convince a lot of new customers to take the Tesla plunge.

Tesla has been promising a new Roadster for a while now, but we don't really know what the timetable will be. Probably a few years, at least.

Active owners who get people to buy new Teslas can pick up the next-generation Roadster for a discount. When Tesla finally builds it. Read Full Story