Chevrolet Shows Tesla How a Real Car Company Builds Electric Cars

Following another record sales month for the Chevrolet Bolt, the Tesla Model 3 is still languishing down in low volume territory. 

GM reported 2,781 Bolts found new homes in October 2017, another record figure for the 238-mile BEV. Sales have been on the rise since late summer when the Bolt began to spread to states not named California. Chevrolet had promised the Bolt would reach nationwide availability by the start of September 2017, a date the company steadfastly adhered too.

Tesla, on the other hand, had claimed it would deliver 1,500 Model 3s in Q3 and be well on its way to producing 5,000 cars per week at its Freemont, California factory by the end of 2017. Only, that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore with Tesla only managing to deliver 222 Model 3s this quarter, missing its sales target by a spectacular 85%.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Tesla’s automated assembly line for Model 3 production is still not completed, with installation ongoing, and validation still required before it can begin cranking out affordable, yet sustainable personal transportation solutions in earnest. What’s worse, The Daily Kanban alleges that Tesla has canceled its order for a second Model 3 assembly line which was supposed to be the key to Tesla’s 5,000 per week forecast, but the company hasn’t yet built a second body shop to house the second production line.

As a result, Tesla was forced to push back its production schedule for the Model 3 by three months, claiming it will begin producing no less than 5,000 cars by late Q1 2018. At the same time, the company also delayed Model 3 deliveries scheduled for Q3 2017, saying they should be expected closer to year’s end, if not early 2018.

Rubbing salt in Elon’s gaping ego wound, the Bolt didn’t just slaughter the Model 3 in October sales, it also embarrassed the Model S and X by outselling the combined pair by 41%.

Ouch.