autoevolution
 

Musk Talks Tesla Model Y Production Details

Now that the euphoria of the SpaceX launch has passed (or at least diminished), it's time for Musk to focus on his other jobs because there's still a lot to do there.
Tesla Model Y teaser 1 photo
Photo: Tesla Inc.
Pressure over the Model 3 production has eased off after a very tumultuous end of the year, but things still aren't up to the speed the CEO, the clients or the investors would like them to be. Musk says they're aiming for 2,500 units per week by the end of Q1 and double that by the end of the second quarter.

That would put Model 3 production at roughly 250,000 units per year, which is still half of where it should be by 2019, according to the initial schedule. However, if those numbers are achieved, there's no reason not to think 500,000 could be done by the end of next year.

During yesterday's conference talk with financial analysts, Musk also touched on the mulch talked about "manual labor" that was said to have gone into the making of the Model 3 at some point. He said there was no actual assembly done by hand, with the workers rather moving the parts between the machines.

However, a much more interesting subject was the Model Y crossover, the next vehicle to come from Tesla after the already previewed second-gen Roadster. There isn't a clear-cut release date, but Musk did say the company might start spending money to get ready for the new model, including investing in a new factory. It should all be announced later this year as there isn't that much time left, even by Tesla standards.

Talking about the crossover, the CEO shared his excitement over the way the vehicle is designed, saying they're using everything they learned from the Model 3 to make its manufacturing process even more straightforward.

Musk really dropped the bomb when he mentioned Model Y's eventual production target: 1,000,000 units a year. If there's one thing we can take from that, it's that the crossover will definitely be built in at least two plants, with one of them being the much-talked-about location in China. Even in three years or so, that volume (coming over the 500,000 Model 3s and 100,000 Models S and X) couldn't be absorbed without the full help of the Chinese market.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Vlad Mitrache
Vlad Mitrache profile photo

"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories