Longtime Tesla followers will recognize this as the plan Musk formally introduced in August of 2006, which described Musk’s eventual goal of releasing the Model 3, the company’s affordable EV now slated for a late 2017 release.
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SEC spokeswoman Florence Harmon declined to comment.
Ten years ago, in a blog post titled “The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me)”, Musk outlined his vision for affordable electric cars and, specifically, the vehicles that would eventually become his Tesla 3 and Tesla Model S four-door.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation of the deadly Florida crash.
A spokesperson for Tesla said that the auto company has not yet heard from the SEC regarding this matter. And they may want some reassurances that Tesla’s Autopilot system is safe after OH resident Joshua Brown was killed in May when his Model S sedan crashed into a truck despite having the partially self-driving system activated.
The Wall Street Journal notes that after the public disclosure of the fatal incident on June 30, Tesla shares rose nearly 2 percent, meaning it could be hard for the SEC to argue that investors were harmed by disclosure or lack thereof.
In the auto company’s blog, Tesla defended itself against implications by Fortune magazine that it had misled its investors about risks associated with its business and, specifically, Autopilot technology.
The investigations related to the Autopilot system come at a time when Musk and his high-flying company are under pressure on several fronts.
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As a result, Tesla trimmed its full-year delivery forecasts to 79,000 from the range of 80,000 to 90,000. If it happens, the that’s about 32 times Tesla (TSLA)’s current valuation. Elon Musk has already expressed interest in acquiring his own solar panel installation company SolarCity for $2.8 billion. A friend of the driver posted on the Tesla Motors Club forum that the auto was in Autopilot with the speed around 55-60 miles-per-hour and for some reason, it drove off the road ad hit the guard rail wood posts.
