20,000 cars per month by December is an incredibly ambitious goal. If achieved, they have a very good chance of getting their 500,000 cars in 2018, something that virtually everyone (including myself) thought could not be done.<p>So two things:<p>1) If you don't have a dog in this race, wait and see if Tesla really does achieve these goals. Outrageous claims require strong evidence.<p>2) If you're a competitor, now is not the time to fold your arms, look down your nose, and say it can't be done. Tesla has a 50/50 (30% chance? 60% chance?) chance of eating your lunch, so it's a gamble to assume they won't succeed. And if you're a luxury car maker, you don't need me to tell you that as the Model S is already eating your (high profit margin) lunch: "Tesla’s Model S outsells Mercedes S-Class, Porsche Panamera, and BMW 6/7 Series combined in the US" <a href="https://electrek.co/2017/05/26/tesls-model-s-leading-us-large-luxury-segment/" rel="nofollow">https://electrek.co/2017/05/26/tesls-model-s-leading-us-larg...</a><p>If you're a competitor, you really have only one option: assume Tesla will succeed and so try to compete like hell.
> Musk also tweeted that production would increase "exponentially," with 100 cars in August, more than 1,500 in September and 20,000 per month in December.<p>Finally, someone who says things will grow exponentially and actually means it!
The U.S. $7500 tax credit for buying electric cars is cut in half two quarters after a manufacturer hits 200,000 units. Two quarters later it is cut to 25 percent, and at the start of the sixth quarter after the limit is reached, the credit disappears completely.<p>I wonder if enough people know about this to produce pressure to buy Model 3's quickly?<p><a href="https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/how-does-the-electric-car-tax-credit-work" rel="nofollow">https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/how-does-the-electric-ca...</a>
It's arriving Friday and they still haven't released official photos of the interior nor have any options configurations. Really odd way to launch a vehicle.<p><a href="https://www.tesla.com/model3" rel="nofollow">https://www.tesla.com/model3</a>
Grats to them. Really curious what the configuration of the cars to be delivered on the 28th are. Also will be very interesting over the next year with two 200+ "affordable" EVs on the market and another pair to be announced in September if those early adopters on this end of the market will think of their purchases a few months down the road
Even if they hit their production targets, everything hinges on how well and how soon they can get their autnomous feature to work. If Google gets theirs to work and into a production car before Tesla does it will be tough for Tesla. Until then the stock will have good momentum.
Given the recent stories behind the scenes of Musk's companies... I can't help but imagine that there are hundreds of almost broken, spent, and exhausted young people (many of them very low paid "interns") who have been working for peanuts making this happen.
I really wonder how the top-speed is on those cars in their various configurations. For me this is the deal breaker on all other "affordable" solutions thus far.