Outside Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California on Friday night, Musk showed off the $35,000 Model 3 which has a range of 220 miles (350 km) on a charge that marks a departure from the company’s earlier luxury electric cars. Any new buyers would likely not receive their car until the end of 2018, Musk said. The 500,000 vehicles Tesla vows to produce next year are nearly six times its 2016 production. Production delays and quality issues marred the launches of Tesla’s Model S and Model X vehicles, and the company blamed production problems for a shortfall during the second quarter of this year. Until now, Tesla has operated as a niche producer of luxury electric vehicles, with a charismatic, showman chief executive who regularly interacts with fans on his Twitter account.

Source: The Guardian July 29, 2017 04:52 UTC