Tesla Came Oh So Close To Delivering 500,000 Vehicles In 2020

Tesla managed to deliver a total of 499,550 vehicles in 2020, just short of Elon Musk’s goal of 500,000.

Figures released by the electric automaker reveal that in the final quarter of the year, it delivered 180,570 vehicles to customers around the world. Of these, 18,920 were Model S and Model X vehicles, while the remaining 161,650 were Model 3s and Model Ys. During the quarter, a total of 179,757 new Tesla vehicles were produced.

While Tesla didn’t quite hit Musk’s goal of 500,000, these figures represent significant gains over previous years. Tesla increased deliveries by 36 per cent this year compared to 2019, a particularly impressive achievement when you consider just how crazy 2020 was.

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Moreover, despite very narrowly missing the target, Tesla said it had “produced and delivered half a million vehicles, in line with our most recent guidance”, which Elon Musk said was a “major milestone”. In fact, Tesla manufactured more than 509,000 cars in 2020.

In a press release confirming the production and delivery numbers, the company added that production of the Model Y recently commenced at its Shanghai Gigafactory and that customer deliveries will “begin shortly.”

This year could be just as fruitful, if not more so, for Tesla. Just a few days ago, Musk and the transport minister of India revealed that the automaker will begin selling its vehicles in the country this year. India is the world’s fifth-largest auto market and its government is making efforts to promote electric vehicles, including a plan to offer $4.6 billion in incentives by 2030 to establish EV battery manufacturing sites in the country. A measly 3,400 electric vehicles were sold in India in 2019.

The first Tesla to be sold in India will be the Model 3, priced from 5.5 million Indian rupees (over $74,000).

NHTSA Investigating Possible Front Suspension Failure In 115,000 Teslas

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a formal investigation into approximately 115,000 Teslas with a possible front suspension issue.

According to the NHTSA, it has received 43 complaints about 2015-2017 Model S and 2016-2017 Model X vehicles related to faulty front suspension parts that can damage the tires. The safety regulator says that 32 of the complaints it has received involved failures that occurred during low-speed parking maneuvers, while 11 occurred while driving. A further eight complaints have been made over the same issue.

In February 2017, Tesla actually released a service bulletin describing a manufacturing issue that could see the front suspension fore links fail. If this were to happen, the tire could contact the wheel arch liner.

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News of the NHTSA’s investigation comes just four weeks after certain Model S and Model X EVs built at Tesla’s Fremont factory and exported to China were recalled due to two separate suspension defects that could result to damage to both the front and rear suspension following large impacts, Reuters reports.

On November 20, a class-action lawsuit also related to Model S and Model X suspension issues was filed against Tesla in the U.S. District Court in California. It asserts that defects can see front and rear suspension control arm assembly components failing prematurely.

In June and July, the NHTSA also opened an investigation into touchscreen failures on 2012-2018 Model S and 2016-2018 Model X vehicles, as well as a separate probe over a battery cooling issue with early Model Ss.