Tesla Motors’ bid to sell two-thirds more all-electric vehicles than last year got off to a positive—and more transparent—start in the first quarter. And while the delivery numbers will likely get the bulk of the attention, the timing of the announcement deserves some of the spotlight too.
The company (and Musk) is starting to mature as an automaker, said Karl Brauer, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. “If you’re in the automotive industry, especially if you’re in the spotlight, you have to be transparent. You’re better off controlling the message, even if it’s not that great, than being opaque. I think he’s finally realizing that.”
Tesla still doesn’t report its production numbers every month like the rest of the automotive industry, a move Brauer said would only add to its authority and validity as an automaker.
The luxury electric automaker said Friday it delivered 10,030 Model S vehicles in the first quarter, a 55 percent jump from the same quarter last year.
At the time, Tesla blamed the shortfall on production delays of its Performance All-Wheel Drive Dual Motor (P85D) Model S, which pushed some deliveries to the first quarter of 2015. The company also said the lower-than-expected deliveries were caused by a combination of other factors including customers “being on vacation, severe winter weather and shipping problems (with actual ships).”
The company did manage to hit its production goals, making 11,627 vehicles in the fourth quarter.
