As it faces a huge pile of orders for Model 3, Tesla’s new challenge is not to build great cars (it’s already proven it can do that), but to build great cars quickly, in large volume. Along the way, it just might add manufacturing to the list of realms it has reshaped. As Elon Musk… Read more »
Tesla made automotive history on March 31, when it unveiled the culmination of its master plan to bring EVs to the masses. The company has committed to delivering a car with the parameters that pundits have identified as the tipping point for widespread EV sales: 200 miles of range and a price tag in the… Read more »
Tesla will need a big pot of new capital to get the Model 3 production line up and running. The company opted to raise a few bucks in a new equity offering, which turned out to be a big success. The underwriters, led by Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, exercised their options to buy as… Read more »
Vehicle autonomy is developing on a parallel course with electrification. Tesla is at the forefront of this trend with its Autopilot features, keeping it a nose ahead of any potential competition from other automakers. Every day, more Autopilot-driven miles are added to the body of data that the company is amassing. Tesla said in April… Read more »
“Definitely going to need to rethink production planning,” tweeted Elon Musk when he learned of the explosive demand for his latest creation. Seldom has such a short sentence been so freighted with risk, opportunity…and a whole lot of hard work. Ramping up annual production by a factor of ten will be a major challenge, one… Read more »
Following the departure of two top manufacturing executives, Tesla Motors has hired Peter Hochholdinger, a 22-year veteran of Audi who oversaw the production of the company’s A4, A5 and Q5 models. Mr. Hochholdinger was also involved in bringing Audi’s new Mexican production facility online. Hochholdinger will be Tesla’s new VP of Vehicle Production, replacing Greg… Read more »
The tidal wave of reservations for Model 3 carries both good and bad news for Tesla – it’s cool to have all those future sales in the pipeline (over $14 billion worth, the company figures), but it’s a bummer to have to wait two years to get the cash. However, all the publicity comes with… Read more »
Over the past couple of decades, major automakers have built an ecosystem in which components of their cars are built by suppliers large and small around the world. This system has served them well, but it has several drawbacks that are becoming more apparent as cars become electric, autonomous and connected (Ian Wright eloquently described… Read more »
The Model 3 launch, which Tesla calls “the biggest consumer product launch ever,” is to be followed by what must be the biggest and fastest production ramp-up ever (those of little faith might prefer such adjectives as “quixotic” or “impossible”), Tangible evidence of this massive mobilization is beginning to appear. Tesla recently leased a million… Read more »
As Tesla promotes a more sustainable transportation system, it hopes to demonstrate a more egalitarian pay policy, at least for its CEO. While overpaid and underperforming executives are drawing the ire of the public (and one presidential candidate), Elon Musk has a compensation plan that’s not only good for him, but also for the company’s… Read more »