Tesla To Reveal Model Y SUV Plans Later This Year

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed on Wednesday’s Q4 earnings call that the company will begin making capital investments on the Model Y compact SUV sometime in the second half of 2018. 

Musk reaffirmed his position that the Model Y would be created with efficiency and rapid production in mind, and even simpler to manufacture than the Model 3.

“We are going to make some capital investments towards the end of this year related to Model Y. I don’t want to jump the gun on those, but I think we’ve got a good plan. I’m pretty excited about how we’re designing Model Y. It’s really taking a lot of lessons learned from Model 3 and saying how do we design something to be easy to manufacture instead of how to manufacture or difficult, really.” Musk said during the Q4 2017 earnings call.

JRobUSC - 2/9/2018 10:27:54 AM

+10 Boost

Of course they are -- they're burning through cash and losing seven figures every quarter, so they need to release an imaginary future car to generate another $400 million in deposits in order to build the last car they took $400 million in deposits on and can't actually build, the Model 3. Right on cue, really.

SanJoseDriver - 2/10/2018 12:44:29 AM

-4 Boost

Last month they sold about 3k

SanJoseDriver - 2/11/2018 6:34:18 AM

-2 Boost

Do you have a link? Tesla did not release an official number for January but 860 were in transit at the end of Q4, so a 5xx number is way off. I have some insider info that they are making just over 1k a week right now.

I can tell you in Silicon Valley I'm now seeing 2-3 a day, every day. Saw about a dozen parked at a popular shopping center called Santana Row.

SanJoseDriver - 2/14/2018 5:32:35 AM

+2 Boost

@fiftysix that is completely unvalidated, there is no official number release by Tesla for January. They pulled that out of their ass.

@joneshamilton you're an idiot, each store has 1 car at best, and it is inside the store.

Hauerg - 2/10/2018 2:35:30 PM

-2 Boost

What money did he ask for the Falcon Heavy Launch? Or are you just trying to be an asshole?

BTW: He offered the FH flight for FREE to Nasa, Air Force and other gov orgs. No takers.

qwertyfla1 - 2/9/2018 11:31:02 AM

+8 Boost

Another diversion tactic. Tesla Minivan and school bus coming next...

TomM - 2/9/2018 3:12:18 PM

+5 Boost

Gee - I was told that the next vehicles to be designed from Tesla would be an Ambulance - a Fire Truck - and Front Loader Medium Tractor - ALong with a number of other new vehicles - All in the Hot Wheels form Factor!

PUGPROUD - 2/9/2018 12:35:59 PM

+9 Boost

Running as fast as they can to stay ahead of their creditors. Sense is Tesla may be slip sliding away. Taking it slower may indeed allow big time competitors to catch up but expanding too fast in a complex capital intensive business has its own peril. A catch 22.

TheSteve - 2/9/2018 3:26:15 PM

+11 Boost

At the risk of sounding jaded, every time Tesla announces a new product, I hear that as "Tesla finds yet another way to lose money."

A lot of shareholders and bondholders will be crying when the Tesla house of cards collapses.

supermoto - 2/9/2018 6:14:51 PM

+8 Boost

The Ponzi scheme must continue!

Next they'll be taking deposits for aircraft, ships, tennis shoes, anything to keep them solvent. Too bad the deposits are not kept in escrow and will go up in smoke in the very possible event of bankrupcy.

MDarringer - 2/9/2018 6:31:05 PM

+7 Boost

AMEN! The Model 3 is a clusterfluzzle. Supposedly the semi is going into production as is a new roadster and now another crossover.

They should redo the Model X with conventional doors and call it good.

SanJoseDriver - 2/10/2018 12:46:04 AM

-6 Boost

The Model X is selling just fine with the current doors. I think they may stick with normal doors for the Y though, keep it simple and shoot for under a $40k starting price.

TheSteve - 2/10/2018 2:30:02 AM

+6 Boost

@supermoto re "...Too bad the deposits are not kept in escrow and will go up in smoke in the very possible event of bankruptcy..."

Sadly true :-(

SanJoseDriver - 2/10/2018 12:48:39 AM

-6 Boost

Tesla still has $3.5 billion in cash and Model 3 deliveries are ramping up. They are not going anywhere.

The Y I don't think they will build in Fremont. My guess is Shanghai or Gigafactory 1.

MDarringer - 2/10/2018 8:43:26 AM

+7 Boost

3.5 billion for a car maker to have in is like having $1.49 in your pocket at Starbucks.

TheSteve - 2/10/2018 1:41:41 PM

+6 Boost

@SanJoseDriver re "...[Tesla] are not going anywhere..."

We must be mindful that each time Tesla taps capital markets -- wehn it offers a new batch of shares, or a batch of bonds -- they are going to the public to get more cash so they can keep operating. This is no trivial matter, considering how regularly Tesla does this.

All we need is an economic scare -- such as the Dow and NASDAQ experiencing a major reset over the course of a year -- and have that align with Tesla needing to raise more operating capital, and we could experience a scenario in which Tesla cannot raise the cash it need to keep running.

SanJoseDriver - 2/11/2018 6:38:39 AM

-2 Boost

If they can fulfill Model 3 orders, they won't need to go back to the market. The CAPEX to get to 250k Model 3s/year + 100k Model S/X per year has already been spent. Fremont can probably get to 700k cars per year at max capacity, they still have a long way to go before maximizing their current resources.

MDarringer - 2/11/2018 8:17:00 AM

+4 Boost

@SanJoseDriver What in hell are you smoking?

MDarringer - 2/11/2018 3:54:03 PM

+2 Boost

@fiftysix well, we mustn't judge then. If I had his address, I'd send the poor cow a tin of Altoids.

SanJoseDriver - 2/12/2018 2:07:10 AM

0 Boost

What the hell are you smoking? I'm stating exactly what the investor guidance is, are you're the ones making inciteful "troll" comments.

If you don't think they will hit 5k per week, where do you think they will cap out? Right now they are over 1k. Let's see how your guess compares to reality.

malba2367 - 2/10/2018 10:49:23 AM

+7 Boost

I dont agree with a lot of what Mdarringer posts but he is right....car companies burn a ton of cash especially when developing new models. Tesla however is still viewed as a "tech" company so they will for the short term have basically unlimited access to capital.