Tesla Produces 5,000 Model 3s In One Week, Meeting Bold Goal Set By Elon Musk
In one of its famous “burst builds,” Tesla produced 5,000 Model 3 electric cars in the last seven days, the end of the second quarter for the company. The final car came off the assembly line early this morning, just a few hours after the goal initially set by Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Per a Reuters report, Musk set a deadline to manufacture 5,000 Model 3s a week before June 30. The ambitious demand was Musk’s way of proving Tesla could mass produce an electric vehicle. The company has not disclosed just how long this level of production will continue.
One worker told Reuters there was a “mass celebration” at 5 a.m. this morning as the last car came off the line in the Fremont, California factory. Despite numerous reported problems during production of the Model 3, Tesla pulled it off in the final days.
Determined to meet the 5,000 goal, Musk rallied workers, constructed a new assembly line under a tent next to the main factory, and continued boasting that Tesla would meet expectations. This latest achievement will allow the company to make better estimates of what manufacturing numbers to expect over longer periods of time. The latest production and delivery numbers will likely be announced officially by the company before the end of the week.
For people who put down a $1,000 deposit for a Tesla Model 3 as long as two years ago, the big day has arrived. https://t.co/AdseIa1WlN
— Ars Technica (@arstechnica) June 30, 2018
According to Tesla, over 450,000 Model 3 pre-orders were received in the quarter. However, the Model 3s currently in production are the higher-end versions, not the $35,000 basic model Musk promised to introduce to the growing electric car market. The company has not released figures on how many high-end 3s are reserved.
Barclays analyst Brian Johnson told investors earlier this year that Tesla’s notorious “burst builds” are just not sustainable. Prior to this past week, Tesla was making averaging about 3,500 Model 3s every seven days.
Although meeting the 5,000-per-week goal was finally accomplished, Tesla has had its share of issues in recent weeks. The company announced a 9 percent workforce reduction and had to deal with two fires at the Fremont factory. Per a prior report by the Inquisitr, Tesla also accused a former employee of committing sabotage by leaking information about the company to the press.
