Tesla just missed out on its target to exceed 500,000 deliveries for 2020, despite the massive global disruption caused by the pandemic.
According to data published on the American EV maker's investor relations site, a total of 180,570 cars were delivered in the fourth quarter of last year.
Deliveries in total for 2020 were 499,550 - just 450 short of the target. Tesla claimed it produced 509,737 cars in the year.
The figure is another substantial improvement on the previous year for the firm, which reported approximately 367,500 deliveries in 2019 - itself a 50% improvement on 2018.
Last January, Tesla predicted that it would “comfortably exceed” the half a million sales mark for the year. However, that was prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, which caused factory shutdowns across the industry - something that Tesla boss Elon Musk fought against in California.
The figure comes after a remarkable share price rise of more than 700% for the EV maker throughout 2020.
Musk, who ends the year as the world’s second-richest person, said in a Tweet that he was “so proud of the Tesla team” for hitting the milestone, while admitting that he thought Tesla had “optimistically” a 10% chance of survival at the start of the company.
It’s important to note, however, that 500,000 deliveries is still relatively small-fry when compared to the world’s largest car makers. Volkswagen, for example, delivered nearly 11 million vehicles in 2019, while even Subaru managed to build nearly 800,000 cars in 2019.
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There is likely an 'Apple'like future for Tesla even if the ICE guys make the switch successfully - a niche market product for the loyal.
You gotta give it to Tesla - still leading in many ways, and the Model S is a bargain right now - but then I have to ask why the fanboys display such insecurity in their Elonspeak parroting and 'told-you-so' posts... then I saw a picture of Musk WHEN HE WAS BALD and realised that the insecurity is tops-down...
More reasonable to compare, if you want to compare, Tesla with BMW not Volkswagen. In 2019 BMW produced just over 2 million vehicles, excluding Mini and Rolls Royce, and have been in the premium car business for 40-50 years. It is predicted that Tesla will achieve 2 million produced/delivered by 2025 with at least two new Giga factories (Austin, Texas and Berlin, Germany) in prduction by end of 2021. Nothing "small fry" about the achievement to date; plans for 2021 and the ultimate goal...mindblowing stuff
Tesla have done very well and exceeded many people's expectations, sales wise. But keep in mind up until now they have had an artificial market monopoly in the premium EVs sector, owing to other manufacturers being so slow to ramp up their EV programs. This will change as there is going to be a lot more competition for Tesla starting in the next year or two.
Hats of to Musk and Tesla etc, from zero to half a million in twelve years and not just half a million cheap as chips superminis with a 1 litre ice.
Perhaps he can concentrate the next twelve years on quality? I've seen entry-level cars from Dacia with a better fit and finish.
Smoking coal, bit more positive than 2018 when you wrote "Another nail in the coffin...Tesla failed to hit another quarterly production target for the Model 3, even after they revised the expected number down multiple times and the company continues to lose money quarter after quarter. I guess it is up to the deluded tech investors and fan boys to keep it going now. Anyone with a spare dime won't go anywhere near it. Hilarious" Glad I ignored you then.
That quality improvement might change the mind of my uncle who's one of those that doesn't like the EV's and fancy tech. He's a huge diesel guy afterall. We recently installed a set of new wheels from 4Wheelonline onto his 2010 Ram project. He still prefer older truck projects without those complicated electronics.