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Tesla CEO Elon Musk gestures as he visits the development web site of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Grünheide close to Berlin on August 13, 2021.
Patrick Pleul | Reuters
Tesla CEO Elon Musk mentioned in the course of the fourth-quarter earnings name that the corporate is not going to be releasing any new fashions this yr and isn’t at the moment growing a $25,000 automotive.
In his opening remarks, he mentioned that the continuing chip scarcity would make it unimaginable to launch new car fashions with out fewer autos being shipped total.
“If we had launched a brand new automotive final yr, for instance, the general car efficiency would have been the identical due to the restrictions – notably the restrictions of the chips.” He continued, “So we cannot be introducing any new car tiers this yr. It would not make sense.”
With no Cybertruck electrical pickup to promote this yr, Tesla dangers promoting to Ford, which is poised to start transport the F-150 Lighting all-electric pickup within the first half of this yr. Ford additionally lately mentioned it plans to triple manufacturing of its Mustang Mach-E, a possible competitor to Tesla Mannequin 3 and Y, and expects the Mach-E to surpass 200,000 models per yr by 2023.
One other seemingly competitor, the GMC Hummer EV, was first launched to prospects in December 2021. The all-electric model of Normal Motors’ truck is the primary to function the corporate’s Ultium platform, engines and batteries, which GM developed in-house and intends to make use of as the premise for its new electrical autos.
Later, in response to a query a few lower-priced Tesla for mainstream shoppers, Musk mentioned the mission is not at the moment underway.
“We’re not at the moment engaged on the $25,000 automotive,” Musk mentioned. “Finally we’ll. We now have simply sufficient on our plate. An excessive amount of on our plate, to be trustworthy.”
Musk has repeatedly prompt {that a} $25,000 Tesla is feasible. He mentioned Tesla would take about three years to develop in 2018, though he did not give a timeline for when which may occur. And in 2020, on the firm’s shareholder assembly, Musk proposed that Tesla would launch such a automotive inside the subsequent three years.
“In about three years, we’re assured that we will make a really compelling $25,000 electrical car that is additionally absolutely autonomous,” he claimed in 2020. Nevertheless, Musk is infamous for being overly optimistic along with his predictions.
Bernstein Senior Analyst Toni M. Sacconaghi Jr. added, asking, “If there is not a $25,000 car being labored on, then is it actually lifelike to assume that by 2024 you can be making greater than 3 million autos with two very excessive quantity automobiles and promote to a cybertruck? “
Musk replied sullenly, “I imply, it is clear from the questions that the seriousness of full self-driving is not absolutely appreciated.”
The CEO then prompt that Tesla’s driverless car expertise, which was nonetheless in growth, would grow to be so good that it will make the corporate’s automobiles much more engaging over time, resulting in the anticipated excessive quantity of gross sales with or with out the addition of recent fashions would end in decrease costs.
Regardless of saying that Tesla has too many fish to fry to make new car fashions in 2022, he touched on plans for the corporate to develop not solely robotaxis but in addition a humanoid robotic nicknamed Optimus that works in factories with elements might work.
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