Tesla Inc. Worldwide deliveries missed forecasts for the third quarter, and the company warned of challenges in getting cars into the hands of customers, suggesting that supply chain difficulties remain a bright spot. .
It delivered a record 343,830 vehicles worldwide in the third quarter. Analysts have predicted that nearly 358,000 vehicles will be shipped, based on average Bloomberg estimates.
“Historically, our delivery volumes have skewed toward the end of each quarter due to batch auto production in the region,” said Austin, Texas-based Tesla said in a statement. “As our production volumes continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure vehicle capacity and affordability during these peak logistics weeks.”
Quarterly deliveries are among the most closely watched metrics for Tesla as they underpin the automaker’s financial results. While older carmakers and new entrants are both bringing more electric vehicles to market, Tesla has led the battery-powered car market since the first Model S sedans were delivered. customers a decade ago.
Tesla has said that its delivery numbers are conservative and that the final figure could change by 0.5% or more. The company produced 365,923 vehicles during the quarter.
Tesla has begun shifting to production of vehicles that are “more uniform across regions,” leading to an increase in vehicle deliveries during the quarter-end period. The vehicles have been ordered and will be delivered to customers upon their arrival, the company said.
The automaker doesn’t break down sales by geographic region, but the U.S. and China are their biggest markets, and sales overwhelmingly belonged to the Model 3 sedan and Y. Crossover.
Tesla builds Models S, X, 3, and Y at its factory in Fremont, California. It makes the newer Model 3 and Y at its factory near Shanghai. Tesla recently started delivering Model Ys from its newest factories in Berlin and Austin.
The delivery figures come after Tesla’s “AI Day” on Friday night, largely a recruiting event. CEO Elon Musk showed off a prototype of a humanoid robot that walks and waves, seeking to demonstrate Tesla’s advances in the field of artificial intelligence.
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