With Tesla Motors at full production capacity in the United States and recently starting production in the Netherlands, it seems that the company could be somewhat understating how close it is to meeting its goals.
In January 2013, Tesla Motors had already managed to reach its production goal of 400 cars per week, which is about 20,000 Tesla Model S per year, and was making plans to accelerate that production to 500 cars per week. This has been good news for buyers who’ve put down their $5,000 reservation, because demand is still outstripping production, even at 400 cars per week. Later, after first-quarter [Q1] profits were calculated, Tesla Motors upped their 2013 quota to 21,000 vehicles, slightly more than 400 cars per week.
The appeal of the Tesla Model S is clear, even attracting buyers away from the luxury vehicle market, in spite of the fact that Tesla Motors does not make a luxury vehicle, per se. This appeal has been reflected in increased sales, reviews, and stock prices, and has made it a target for the opposition. One car fire and another accident have caused rippled of dissent among some shareholders, causing stock prices to drop, as much as 10%. From a high of nearly $195/share, two weeks ago, to a low of $171/shr last week, Tesla Motors stock prices [TSLA] are slowly coming back, but what about production numbers?
Is Tesla Motors on track to meet 21,000 vehicle sales by the end of 2013? According to one owner / journalist / shareholder, Shawn Lawrence Otto, Tesla seems to be ahead of the game. Mr. Otto, buyer of Tesla Model S #22,017 has run the numbers. Tesla Model S vehicle identification numbers [VIN] use the last five digits as a production counter, which means that over 22,000 have been delivered by the end of the third quarter [Q3]. Subtracting all the vehicles sold before Q3, including 2,650 from 2012, leaves Q3 sales standing at 9,467 vehicles, quite a bit more than the modest assessment of 5,000 Q3 Tesla Model S sales, which was mentioned in an August 7, 2013, shareholder letter.
If these numbers are indicative of anything, Tesla Motors could actually be nearer 26,000 vehicles, by the end of 2013, just shy of 500 cars per week.
Image © Huffington Post
