At Tesla's annual shareholder meeting recently, Chief Executive Elon Musk shed new light on the company's next sport utility vehicle, the Model Y, while confirming the production schedule for the new Model 3, the company's entry-level car that is priced at US$35,000 (S$48,000).
Buoyed by the mass market appeal of the Model 3, Tesla hopes to produce half a million electric cars by next year - vastly ramping up its output over last year at 85,000 vehicles.
Early customers of the Model 3 can choose the car's colour and size of its wheels, Mr Musk said. But as production accelerates later this year and into next year, additional configurations will open up.
Model 3 customers can eventually choose between two motors, one designed for highway travel and another for stop-and-go traffic, optimising for acceleration and mileage economy.
Early customers of the Model 3 can choose the car's colour and size of its wheels Demand for the Model 3 is not slowing, Mr Musk said. Customers who place reservations now will not see their vehicle until late next year. He also offered the first glimpse of the Model Y, which is expected to hit the road by 2019. He did not offer additional details on the design, but noted that demand for the Y is exceeding that of the Model 3. Finally, at the end of September, Tesla plans to show off a working prototype of its new all-electric semi-trailer truck.
"We've shown it to a number of organisations that buy heavy-duty trucking and they all love it," Mr Musk said. "They just want to know how many can they buy and how soon." He also added that customers of heavy-duty trucks are giving Tesla feedback on the design, helping to keep the vehicle tailored to their needs.
Model 3 customers can eventually choose between two motors, one designed for highway travel and another for stop-and-go traffic, optimising for acceleration and mileage economy.
"We've shown it to a number of organisations that buy heavy-duty trucking and they all love it," Mr Musk said. "They just want to know how many can they buy and how soon." He also added that customers of heavy-duty trucks are giving Tesla feedback on the design, helping to keep the vehicle tailored to their needs.
