What To Expect From Tesla Heading Into 2018
2017 wasn't a stellar year for Tesla as the electric automaker battled with production issues and copious scrutiny from investors and critics alike. However, thanks to news of recovery from its suppliers and the announcements of two new models – including an electric Semi truck – there's a chance that the company will bounce back with the New Year.
For years, naysayers have predicted the carmaker's downfall only to be proven wrong time. Now 2018 is shaping up to be a record year for Elon Musk and the people and Telsa thanks to these new developments.
First off is the future bread and butter of the company, the mass market Tesla Model 3. While 2017 was marred by production bottlenecks making sightings of the vehicle quite rare, 2018 is set to be the year where the vehicle goes mainstream.
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Tesla's suppliers in Taiwan have already revealed that the company's orders have returned to the previously set guidance of 5,000 vehicles per week. Soon, fleets of Model 3s will be rolling out from the company's gigafactories to the waiting arms of buyers.
Riding on the Model 3's success will be the Model Y, a crossover all-electric vehicle built on the same third-generation platform as the Model 3. Musk said that they will be focusing on the Model Y as soon as they have a good handle on the Model 3 which means it will likely go in production this 2018. Keep in mind though that "Model Y" is not the vehicle's name, yet.
Of course, there's also Tesla's current bread and butter of the company: the luxury Model S and Model X. They are still going strong however the mass market focus the company has taken has made them a bit outdated. Probably not for long as the company is expected to revamp both models in order to differentiate them from the Model 3 and maintain their luxury appeal.
There's also the non-car aspect of the company to look out for mainly Autopilot and Superchargers. 2017 was unforgiving for driverless car technology not just for Tesla but other carmakers as well. But with the speed at which the technology is developing, it wouldn't be surprising to see some major improvements on their implementation on Tesla's vehicles.
As for the Supercharger Stations, the automaker continues to dot the landscape with them with giant hubs being created in some major cities. The company said it plans to have 18,000 Superchargers by the end of 2018 a substantial number of which will be installed in China where the company already having a strong foothold in China.
There's definitely a lot to look forward to this 2018. However, Tesla is not out of the woods yet. The company is in dire need of a cash infusion next year thanks to its massive cash burn. This will definitely pose a challenge for Elon Musk who is currently balancing his duties with the automaker and his pet project SpaceX. Hopefully, 2018 won't be the year that almost killed the company but rather the one that saved it.
