Elon Musk, it seems, has bitten off more than he can chew. The new and much anticipated Tesla Model 3 car raised eyebrows when Musk declared that the vehicle will begin mass production is July.
From the common mass to automobile experts, one and all concluded that it was too narrow a deadline to meet and it would be really difficult for Tesla to enter mass production by this window.
Musk, nevertheless reassured one and all by declaring that the production is "on track" and also stated in the fourth quarter results that his company has started producing prototypes of the upcoming car, which has passed crash test with positive results. Musk also stated that the designs of Tesla Model 3 were finished in summer 2016.
However, the statement is quite contradictory to the recent filings submitted by Tesla. According to Tesla's new K-10 filling with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the design of the model is yet to be finalized. This makes it difficult for the car manufacturer to fulfil the July deadline.
Tesla Model 3 Beta Prototype Not Ready?
The filing states that Tesla would be able to successfully complete a prototype of Model 3 and create the first Model 3 production vehicle.
However, even after two months, Tesla is yet to achieve its own performance goals as it is yet to finalize the designs and produce a Model 3 Tesla car.
"We expect that the next performance milestone to be achieved will be the successful completion of the Model 3 Beta Prototype, which would be achieved upon the determination by our Board of Directors that an eligible prototype has been completed. Candidates for such prototype are among the vehicles that we are currently building as part of our ongoing testing of our Model 3 vehicle design and manufacturing processes," stated the Tesla K-10 filing.
Tesla Breaks Its Promise Again?
This is not the first time Tesla will be missing a deadline set by Musk as it has quite a record of not keeping promises. However, this time it may turn out to be worse than before as Musk has already built quite an excitement regarding the cheapest Tesla car.
Tesla Model 3 garnered an estimated 180,000 preorders within 24 hour of going on sale. By now, the number has crossed 400,000. If one does the math correctly, then Tesla is way behind to meet the July deadline as it has just four months to build a prototype, test it and enter mass production.
The Tesla Model 3 has been priced at $35,000, exclusive of the government incentives, and interested buyers can preorder it from the Tesla website.
