Tesla may be on course to deliver its Model Y crossover earlier than expected.
Research by Deutsche Bank suggests the all-electric Model Y could hit the road as early as the first quarter of 2020, CNBC reported this week. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had earlier said the company was targeting summer 2020 for the rollout.
If Tesla can start deliveries in early 2020, it would be considered a victory for the company, considering the issues it usually experiences with production targets, the news outlet noted.
Deutsche Bank arrived at its forecast after seeing information from Tesla suppliers in Taiwan describing an uptick in orders for parts that will be used for the Model Y.
“Reports from suppliers of Model Y parts in Taiwan are claiming that Tesla is requesting that their orders be delivered much earlier than expected,” Emmanuel Rosner, Deutsche Bank’s senior autos and auto technology analyst, wrote in a piece quoted by CNBC.
Rosner added that the Model Y suppliers in Taiwan currently indicate that Tesla “is accelerating orders to enter mass production a full six months ahead of the original schedule. This would mean that the Model Y could be available to the public in the first quarter of next year.”
We’ve reached out to Tesla to ask if it can confirm Deutsche Bank’s analysis and will update this piece if we hear back.
On a side note, Rosner also said that the suppliers additionally claimed that orders for Tesla Semi parts have also seen an uptick, with the truck expected to be released in limited quantity at some point in 2020.
Model Y ‘ahead of schedule’
In October 2019, Musk said in a conference call with investors that Tesla was “ahead of schedule on Model Y preparations,” prompting the CEO to move the vehicle’s launch timeline from full 2020 to summer 2020.
He added during the call that “there may be some room for improvement there,” suggesting that the Model Y may indeed be on course for an even earlier delivery date.
The Model Y, which is a smaller, better-priced alternative to the Model X, was unveiled in March 2019. Check out Digital Trends’ look at the vehicle if you’re keen to learn more.
Unlike for Tesla’s recently unveiled Cybertruck, the company hasn’t revealed pre-order numbers for the Model Y, though Musk has said he believes the Model Y “will outsell Model S, Model X, and Model 3 combined.”
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