Musk Says Tesla Hit June Target for Model 3 Production

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk told employees yesterday that the company has met its promise to achieve a weekly production rate of 5,000 units of its new Model 3 electric sedan.

Tesla achieved the twice-delayed target last week, thanks to an extraordinary—and unsustainable—push that included air-freighting an updated production line from Europe to California and supplementing factory production with a temporary manual assembly line set up in a tent. Musk says 20% of last week’s output was contributed by the tent line.

Sources tell Reuters the last of the cars counted in the build actually rolled off the assembly line and completed their quality checks early Sunday morning, July 1. Tesla is expected to formally announce its production results later this week.

Musk says the company now aims to hike Model 3 weekly output to 6,000 units at some point in July. He notes that Tesla also reached a combined weekly output of 2,000 of its Model S sport sedans and Model X crossover vehicles in June.