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Reuters: Tesla starting the production of Model Y next year

Written by Matti Robinson @ 12 Apr 2018 5:09 User comments (3)

Reuters: Tesla starting the production of Model Y next year

Most of the largest car manufacturers of the world are developing both autonomous vehicles as well as full electric cars. Both of these are of course the wheelhouse of Tesla, lead by the generation's revolutionary numero uno.
Tesla has been an important player in both respects for years but only after the release of Model 3 (pictured) has it really become a truly dangerous to some of the biggest – and oldest – companies in the world.

However, an affordable electric car has been problematic, to say the least. Tesla is struggling with the production, and ramping it up seems to where it needs to be is posing troubles even Elon Musk didn't expect.

Perhaps Tesla is better at doing higher end cars, and should stick to them?

Well, according to Reuters, as soon as next year Tesla is going to start producing yet another model, and it's not the super car Roadster. The report says that Tesla is looking to start production of a new Model Y before the end of 2019.



Model Y is slated to be Tesla's fifth car model, after Roadster, Model S, Model X, and Model 3. It's a crossover, quite like the Model X, that has some functionality of a SUV but in a more compact body, likely based on Model 3.

The information Reuters got from the Tesla supplier suggest that Model Y production will start in November 2019. Musk has earlier suggested that the company is aiming to produce as many as a million Model Ys but hasn't revealed when this would happen.

It is highly unlikely that the number will come any time soon, as Tesla is currently not meeting the requirements to hit 500,000 cars from its Fremont, CA, based factory which produces the Model 3, as well as older X and S models.

Although the Model Y is based on the body of Model 3, the Model Y is expected to be more expensive, and one would imagine more complicated, to produce than Model 3 which also makes Musk's plan seem more like a pie in the sky.

Maybe Tesla is taking some new funding in to jumpstart Model Y production, as a huge investment in production facilities seems inevitable, but Musk has said no capital will be raised at least this year.

We'll just have to see how Musk is going to pull this one out.

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3 user comments

114.4.2018 11:49

Quote:
It is highly unlikely that the number will come any time soon, as Tesla is currently not meeting the requirements to hit 500,000 cars from its Fremont, CA, based factory which produces the Model 3, as well as older X and S models.
LoL, they haven't even hit 20,000 and we're past the half-year mark. To make 500,000 in a year they need to increase output by 2400%...and they need to do it about a week ago...and they might already be too late to sell that many anyway between the bad press and the dwindling hype.

Every time Musk announces something like this everyone wonders how he will do it...but generally the answer turns out to be that he can't. "How will he make 500,000 model 3's a year without even finishing the design or setting up production in advance?" Answer: he didn't.

Don't get me wrong; the forward thinking and courage is refreshing in an automotive industry that had been stagnant. But sometimes there is a difference between brave and stupid. Jumping out of an airplane takes courage. Doing it without a parachute takes a lot of stupid.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 14 Apr 2018 @ 11:53

216.4.2018 14:20

Tesla is going to die out soon. I credit them with the innovation to get this all started....but that's the only credit they get.

Not profitable, not practical as a technology with such limitations on drive distance, not even practical for most people to own based on price and a couple other factors. Full automatic cars are still 20 years away and until we're on a grid system then it's just not gonna happen and Tesla keeps touting like they're the end-all, be-all answer.

When Volvo comes out with their auto vehicle, that may change things but still, no grid system, no fully, hands-free driving.

Tesla can't keep up w/production, they still have everyone's f'ing money for a model 3 deposit that seemingly will never arrive, meanwhile, they're making beau coup bucks on 400K people's 1000.00 sitting collecting interest for Tesla.

Eh.....who knows but we'll see soon enough.

325.4.2018 07:56

Originally posted by hearme0:
Tesla can't keep up w/production, they still have everyone's f'ing money for a model 3 deposit that seemingly will never arrive, meanwhile, they're making beau coup bucks on 400K people's 1000.00 sitting collecting interest for Tesla.

To be fair, I'm pretty sure they spent all the money (that's what Tesla does with money) and are making no interest at all.

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