Elon Musk reportedly told Tesla employees the company will likely make over 500 Model 3s per day this week
- Elon Musk told Tesla employees in an email "it is looking quite likely" the company will make over 500 Model 3 vehicles per day this week, according to Electrek, which obtained a copy of the email.
- According to Electrek, Musk also asked employees who are aware of production bottlenecks to contact him.
- Producing over 500 Model 3s per day could allow the company to approach 3,500 per week, 54% more than the 2,270 Model 3s the company made during the last week of April.
Elon Musk told Tesla employees in an email that the company will likely make over 500 Model 3 vehicles per day this week, according to Electrek, which obtained a copy of the email.
"It is looking quite likely that we will exceed 500 vehicles per day across all Model 3 production zones this week," Musk reportedly wrote.
According to Electrek, Musk also asked employees who are aware of production bottlenecks to contact him.
Tesla declined to comment.
Producing over 500 Model 3s per day could allow the company to approach 3,500 per week, 54% more than the 2,270 Model 3s the company made during the last week of April.
During Tesla's first-quarter earnings call in May, Musk said most of the Model 3 production process has run 24 hours-per-day each day of the week, with the exception of general assembly, which runs 20 hours-per-day up to six days per week, and paint, which runs around six days per week.
Tesla has said it is aiming to produce 5,000 Model 3s per week by the end of June, a rate the company had originally planned to reach by the end of 2017. Since the Model 3 launched in July, the company has struggled to ramp up production for the vehicle.
During the fourth quarter of 2017, Tesla made 2,425 Model 3 vehicles. The company made 9,766 Model 3s during the first quarter.
In April, Musk said on Twitter that Tesla used too much automation in the Model 3 production process.
"Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated," he wrote in response to a Wall Street Journal reporter.
The Model 3, which starts at $35,000, is Tesla's first mass-market vehicle, designed to broaden the company's customer base beyond the luxury segment. The vehicle has generally received positive reviews, but some have criticized its build quality.