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Report: Tesla to Begin Model 3 Pilot Production This Month

Tesla Inc. says it will idle its electric-car assembly plant in California for a week this month to prepare it for Model 3 pilot production. Sources tell Reuters the company aims to begin low-volume test assemblies on Feb. 20.
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Tesla Inc. says it will idle its electric-car assembly plant in California for a week this month to prepare it for Model 3 pilot production. Supplier sources tell Reuters the company aims to begin low-volume test assemblies on Feb. 20.

The $35,000 car isn’t expected to go into production until July. Skeptics have doubted the company will be ready to launch the car that quickly, suggesting the company would do well to begin low-volume mass production by year-end.

CEO Elon Musk acknowledges the timing of a ramp-up in production will depend on the ability of suppliers to meet their deadlines. Reuters notes that Tesla could bolster investor confidence by being able to point to the start of pilot production ahead of its fourth-quarter financial report on Feb. 22.

Tesla has collected some 373,000 refundable $1,000 deposits for the Model 3, the company’s first moderately priced model.

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