CBS earlier today released another snippet from its forthcoming interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. As expected, much of the interview seems to center on the company’s current struggles with Model 3 production, with Musk explaining that the saga has been “incredibly difficult and painful over the past several months.” While current Model 3 production is well behind the initial schedule Musk outlined in the months leading up to the Model 3 release, production numbers have steadily increased over the past few months alone. Specifically, Tesla not too long ago revealed that Model 3 production is now at 2,020 units per week.
When asked if reservation holders should be worried about when they might actually receive the Model 3, Musk bluntly said that it shouldn’t be much of a concern.
“It’s best to look at this not in an exact numerical way, but on a calendar basis,” Musk explained. “There shouldn’t be a question mark as to whether somebody’s gonna get their car. It’s just, yes, you’ll definitely get your car. It’s gonna be six to nine months longer than expected. It’s a six-to-nine-month time shift, that’s literally it, and three of those months have already passed.”
Indeed, there might be something to Musk’s remarks here. Recall, Musk initially claimed that the company would be manufacturing 20,000 Model 3 units per month by December of 2017. That goal has since been shifted back to June of 2018, which is about six months. In other words, if Tesla can actually hit the 20,000 units per week threshold by this coming June, Musk’s projection above will be on the nose.
When asked if there have been many Model 3 cancellations due to the long wait, Musk intimated that most cancellations are because some people simply need a car immediately and don’t have time to wait around.
When asked about the pressure for Tesla to deliver and how many people believe in the company because of Musk himself, Musk responded: “Well, I hope their faith is not misplaced.”
The new interview snippet featuring Musk can be viewed below, with the entire piece set to air tomorrow morning on CBS.
