Once upon a time — way back in 2012 — Tesla announced that it was building an electric SUV. It would be called the Model X. It would launch in 2013!
The world* rejoiced. [* note: world, here, defined as “people who want a Tesla, but need to haul big things sometimes. And soccer moms. And the author of this post, who is neither of those but really wants one anyway.]
Then they delayed it until 2014. The Model S was selling like hot cakes, Tesla said, and they needed to focus on that model.
Then they delayed it until “early 2015.” Tesla was busy expanding into China, it said, and their battery productions plants just weren’t cranking things out fast enough to support another model just yet.
With a solid five months to go before the “early 2015” window starts seeming like a stretch, Tesla just dropped the news: the Model X is delayed once again.
On the upside, it’s not another full year’s worth of delay — this time, they’re just bumping things back to Q3 of 2015.
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On the downside… I want a Model X already, dang it.
So what’s the cause for delays this time around?
Flaws that have popped up as the company ramps up production.
“Making one of something is easy.” said Elon Musk on today’s investor call. “[But] we need to make a bunch to know [there’s a problem] there.”
Tesla still hasn’t announced just how much the Model X will cost, though they’ve been accepting $5,000 reservations since they first announced the SUV back in 2012.
It’s a bummer, but it’s the right move. When you’ve only released a handful of different models, all it takes is one not-so-perfect release to tank your reputation for good.
[Via Engadget]
