Tesla will face huge challenges in 2018 - and it could put the company under crushing pressure

Reuters/Mike Blake

Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

• Tesla will face major challenges as it becomes a mass-market automaker.
• The challenges range from CEO Elon Musk's workload to the arrival of new competitors.
• Tesla is preparing to meet these challenges, but it might not surmount them all.

Tesla had a wild ride in 2017. The company is worth more than ever, passing Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in market capitalization and threatening General Motors.

But the "production hell" of a sluggish Model 3 roll-out has tested the patience of customers and investors. And Tesla doesn't have enough money in its reserve to sustain its current cash burn.

Other challenges await in 2018. Yes, 2017 was wild. But 2018 will be even wilder.

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