Tesla reached so many milestones in 2020 that it’s impossible to list them all: the first Model Y deliveries; the start of construction on the German Gigafactory; the announcement of Austin, Texas as the site of Cybertruck production; the wonders of Battery Day; Tesla’s coronation as the world’s most valuable automaker and its addition to the S&P 500 stock index. The list goes on. (CEO Elon Musk had a pretty good year too—he earned an estimated $120 billion in 2020, making him the world’s second-richest person.)

The California carmaker rang out the old year by reaching yet another milestone, setting record delivery and production numbers for the fourth quarter. Five years ago, Elon Musk set a delivery objective of 500,000 cars for 2020, and Tesla came within a panel gap of that goal, delivering 499,550 vehicles for the full year.

The company produced 179,757 vehicles and delivered 180,570 in Q4 2020, beating its previous quarterly record by about 40,000 units. Tesla’s second generation of vehicles accounted for the vast majority of deliveries: 161,650 of Models 3 and Y were delivered to buyers in Q4, along with 18,920 of Models S and X.

The number of deliveries in 2020 increased by 61% compared to 2019.

Tesla also announced that Model Y production in Shanghai has begun, and deliveries are “expected to begin shortly.”

Source: Tesla via Electrek