“No beta, or prerelease testing.” Gasp.
If reports are to be believed, electric-motoring mavericks Tesla will be pushing its latest (and most popular) Model 3 compact saloon straight into production, forgoing the typical pre-launch testing that manufacturers undertake.
CEO Elon Musk spoke of this decision to make a beeline for production in a conference call with investors, with several news reports indicating that the company will be pushing the Model 3 straight into production. This is a bold move, one that errs toward recklessness, as there’s very good reason as to why automotive manufacturers spend months putting their pre-production prototypes through every test known to man prior to launch.
An article by Richard Truett (published on AutoNews) drew parallels between Tesla and the now-defunct British Leyland, and how despite “a million miles” of real-world testing, the 1987 Sterling 825 still ended up beset with issues that were synonymous with British Leyland, problems that eventually led to the company’s demise.
Tesla is no stranger to quality control issues themselves. The Model S, the company’s first widely-accepted model, suffered numerous electrical and software problems in its first iterations, while the Model X suffered a recall of 2,700 units owing to an issue with the seats. That’s even before we mention the SUV’s much-talked-about Falcon Wing doors, which presented problems despite rigorous testing by the company before launch, further driving the point that pre-launch testing is crucial in any car.
And the Model 3 is not just any car. With almost 300,000 bookings so far, the Model 3 will be a make-or-break moment for the company, as it’s piled on incredible resources to get its most affordable model to market in a very, very short timeline. Tesla expects to be able to build 5,000 cars a week by the end of this year, a lofty target by any measure, and intends to hit 10,000 models a week by the end of 2018. With numbers like that in mind, it’s critical that the Model 3 doesn't disappoint, as there will likely be huge ramifications if it does.
While Tesla and Elon Musk have never failed to wow us at every turn, we certainly hope that they’ve got all their ducks in a row ahead of the official release of the Model 3. Tesla has come a long way since it first came about with the Roadster, and it would be a real shame if blind ambition undoes the great strides the company has made in the years since.
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