Tesla has reported record deliveries of its electric cars in the last three months of 2020, and it comes within a mustache to reach the half-million target for the year set by its CEO, Elon Musk.
The California producer’s annual sales rose 36% after a final quarter that exceeded analysts’ expectations, delivering a total of 499,550 cars by 2020.
Tesla delivered 180,570 electric vehicles between October and December, less than the overall target set by Musk at the beginning of the year, before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Covid-19 forced the strike at the Fremont U.S. plant in the United States in the spring, but Musk urged workers to increase production to reach the target, offering incentives last week, including free “self-government” – options worth $ 10,000 (£ 7,300) on Tesla. cars whose paperwork and delivery were completed in the last days of December.
Despite apparently missing the target, Tesla said it “manufactured and delivered half a million vehicles in line with our most recent guidance”, and Musk considered it an “important milestone”.
He tweeted: “So proud of the Tesla team to reach this important milestone! At the beginning of Tesla we thought we (optimistically) had a 10% chance of surviving at all. ‘
Elon Musk
(@elonmusk)So proud of the Tesla team for achieving this important milestone! At the beginning of Tesla I thought we had (optimistically) a 10% chance of surviving at all. https://t.co/xCqTL5TGlE
More than 509,000 cars were manufactured by the manufacturer in 2020. Production of its Model Y sports utility vehicle has also begun at its Chinese plant in Shanghai, and delivery is expected to begin soon, Tesla said.
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Tesla’s share price, which rose eightfold in 2020, ended the year at more than $ 705 and valued the company at $ 669 billion – 20% of which is owned by Musk, who is the second richest man in the world. He overtook Toyota earlier this year as the world’s most valuable carmaker, joining the prestigious Wall Street S&P index last month and instantly becoming its sixth most valuable listed company.