For the reported 325,000 people who placed $1,000-deposits for a non-existent Tesla Model 3, Elon Musk has some bad news mixed with words of encouragement.
First, the bad news: The target start-of-production date of July 1, 2017, “is not a date that will actually be met,” according to Musk during a conference call on Wednesday. The CEO went on to say, “The reality is that the volume production will then be some number of months later as we solve supply chain and internal production issues.” Exactly what number of months he was referring to has yet to be determined.
Now for the good news (sort of): Musk is still optimistic, at least outwardly, on Tesla’s ability to one day deliver the cars and become a mainstream player in the auto world. “Tesla is hell-bent on becoming the best manufacturer on earth,” he said. During the call, Musk also invited top manufacturing execs from around the world to join him in order to make his predictions a reality. His statements come roughly a week after the company lost its vice presidents of production and manufacturing. Not typically a good sign.
To make good on its promises – not something Tesla has historically been known for – the company will need to stay on schedule for battery production to be able to meet the eventual increase in demand. The number of deposits received is evidence the world is ready for a sexy, affordable electric car… said car just isn’t ready for the world yet. If you’re not as optimistic as Musk and want to buy an electric car today, check out the video below for some tangible alternatives.
