► ‘Artsy’ seat delays Model X
► Annual sales target decreases
► Musk still confident in SUV
Originally set for a late 2013 arrival, Tesla’s new SUV – the Model X – has encountered a number of glitches in its gestation. The late 2013 arrival date was pushed back a year to 2014, and then further delays meant that we should now expect the SUV to arrive sometime in September 2015.
We say ‘should’ because Tesla has announced yet more troubles with the Model X production, this time what boss Elon Musk called an ‘artsy’ design for the middle seat in the second row.
The UK’s best electric cars and EVs
Delayed Model X causes Tesla’s sales target to take a hit
Musk, chief executive at Tesla, said in a conference call to investors this week: ‘The Model X is a particularly challenging car to build, maybe the hardest car to build in the world.’ A bold statement, but rather fitting considering the number of glitches in its production.
Unfortunately for Tesla, the good news we reported last month regarding its promising sales projection for the remainder of 2015, has taken a hit. Model X delays are threatening the production of Model S builds, causing Musk to lower the annual target from 55,000 to somewhere between 50k and 55,000.
Despite setbacks, Musk is confident that the Model X will take the market by storm, saying ‘I think it will blow people away’. Let’s hope for no more glitches so we can decide on that statement sooner rather than later.