When Tesla released its annual guidance for 2020 deliveries, many were questioning if CEO Elon Musk could reach his goal of 500,000 vehicle deliveries for the year.
Those doubts were amplified after the coronavirus pandemic forced a 2-month shutdown of its only car manufacturing facility in the US in Fremont, California earlier this year.
Despite the bumpy road, Tesla was still able to deliver 91,000 vehicles in Q2 2020, and a record setting 139,000 vehicles in Q3 2020.
To achieve 500,000 deliveries, the automaker would have to deliver 182,000 vehicles in the final quarter. It appears that number is within reach according to an email sent yesterday by Musk to all staff.
182,000 is the number we want.
“It will be tough, but super exciting if we can exceed half a million cars made in a single year for the first time in Tesla history!” — @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/LriIZ5B700
— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) October 7, 2020
While Musk makes reference to “half a million cars made” and not deliveries, the two numbers aren’t usually that far apart. In Q3 2020 for example, Tesla produced a record 145,036 vehicles, and delivered 139,300 to new owners. In Q2, it actually delivered more cars than it made due to the factory shutdown.
In order to reach 500,000 vehicle made, Tesla would need to improve upon its Q3 production by less than 25,000 units and manufacture 170,020 vehicles in Q4. With Giga Shanghai ramping up and possibly beginning production of the Model Y, it doesn’t seem like an insurmountable task.
The email also asks employees to do whatever they can to “improve output”, but he doesn’t want that increase to come at the cost of quality.
Do you think Tesla will reach 500,000 vehicles, either in production or deliveries, in 2020? Let us know in the comments below.
