Tesla Model 3

[freebeard]

Two years of production 1971-72. From the door hinge-line back it's the same as the standard Beetle (incl. steering wheel and dash). The front has Macpherson struts instead of the torsion bars, w/ 40% more frunk space and a tighter turning circle.

I think the best beige is Shantung Gold. It has a little more yellow than Kansas Beige. VW shipped both colors in 1971, possibly in different markets.

[freebeard]

Today on Slashdot:

New 'Tent' Assembly Line Is 'Way Better' Than Conventional Factory, Says Tesla CEO

From the comments:

There's a lot to be said for agility (Score:5, Insightful)
by Bruce Perens ( 3872 ) <bruce@perens.com> on Tuesday June 19, 2018 @09:34PM (#56813154)...
So, Elon Musk and his company just built in 5 weeks, literally from the ground up, what GM might spend 10 years architecting and designing, getting the EIR, hiring the right unions and negotiating their contracts, contracting for an acquiring equipment, actually assembling it, staffing it, and starting it running.

This race for profitability is actually viewed with contempt by a commentator of the conventional auto industry.

There is a lot to be said for agility, as any manager or investor in a start-up will tell you. This is simply another difference between Silicon Valley business and the conventional auto business. The same sort of difference that allowed Tesla to make electric cars that could actually compete with gasoline cars on their own turf.

I hear Ferrari is just starting to introduce one that might compete, after Tesla has had theirs on the market since 2007, with three new models since. But that's it so far. Ferrari is pretty agile as auto manufacturers go, but at the cost of low manufacturing volume. Ferrari won't be selling its cars at even 5000/month. Tesla is trying to get both the volume and the innovation.

Bruce Perens has a 4-digit I.D. number!

Bruce Perens (born Oct 24, 1957[1]) is an American computer programmer and advocate in the free software movement. He created The Open Source Definition and published the first formal announcement and manifesto of open source.[4][5] He co-founded the Open Source Initiative (OSI) with Eric S. Raymond.[6]

He might know a thing or three.

[wdb]

Sedan, hatchback, whatever. The Model S is a handsome car. The Model 3, not so much.

[seifrob]

The question is: will anything of the admirable stuff you discussed here get Tesla from red numbers?

[NeilBlanchard]

The Model 3 has a lower Cd, and it is smaller, and that makes it better looking than the Model S, in my opinion.

[Piotrsko]

The 72 has better front strut mounts, much improved by changing them to rebuildable 73 upper mounts. The 72 also had the famous 55 mph superbug shake.

[freebeard]

Hey, how about that Tesla?

[RedDevil]

Tesla has sent its employees a mail announcing they did produce 5000 Model 3's, and over 7000 cars including model S and X, last week:
https://www.bloombergquint.com/busin...r-hitting-goal

Later today Tesla will release a formal statement about the quarterly production figures.

[Piotrsko]

Did you see Ford's reply?

[RedDevil]

Yes, but that was a low shot.
Tesla, Inc was founded in 2003, FMC in 1903.
I'd like to see how their production numbers compare when Tesla is 115 years old?

Anyway... it is official.
https://electrek.co/2018/07/02/tesla...on-numbers-q2/

The company delivered 40,740 vehicles and produced 53,339 vehicles, including 28,578 Model 3’s.
At over 28,000 units, Model 3 production came in higher than expected, but Model 3 deliveries were lower than expected.

The delivery breakdown for the quarter was 18,440 Model 3’s, 10,930 Model S vehicles, and 11,370 Model X SUVs.
...
Tesla has now made it official confirming that they produced 5,031 Model 3 during the last seven days of Q2.

Deliveries were down probably to stay below 200.000 to extend the subsidy for another quarter.