The company stated that it delivered 12,420 units of the Model S in the first quarter, but only 2,400 units of the Model X over the same period.
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In February, Elon Musk told stock analysts that Tesla would deliver between 80,000 and 90,000 new cars in 2016.
Tesla Motors frankly admitted that it has its own hubris to blame for the severe shortages that it experienced from suppliers for Model X parts.
Tesla’s new Model 3 starts at $35,000 USA and has a range of nearly 350 kilometres per charge.
While analysts see a pick-up in Model X deliveries and a huge opportunity with the Model 3, they warned of execution risk with the mass-market auto and said the key for Tesla is to get production in order.
As Model 3 madness continues, Tesla Motors issued its first set of quarterly sales results for 2016.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit.
Tesla Motors, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, and sells electric vehicles and stationary energy storage products in the United States, China, Norway, and internationally. By Saturday night, nearly 300,000 people had already placed a $1,000 deposit on the car-despite the fact the vehicles won’t be delivered to buyers until late 2017 at the earliest.
The Model 3 is slated to go on sale next year, but Tesla began taking pre-orders on Thursday.
While it’s 20% smaller than the Model S, the Model 3 still sits five people comfortably.
Musk said production of its new SUV would increase to about 750 cars a week before the end of March.
It said it is addressing all three issues “to ensure that these mistakes are not repeated with the Model 3 launch”, which is scheduled in about 18 months.
The Model 3 is less than half the cost of Tesla’s previous models, and its range is about double what drivers get from current competitors in its price range, such as the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3.
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Tesla shares were trading slightly lower on Tuesday, as limited Model X output pushed Tesla’s total quarterly deliveries below Wall Street expectations. And you do have to turn over some personal information (name, email, billing address and phone number) alongside your credit card number to pre-order the vehicle.
