Tesla almost reaches 500,000 car delivery target by 2020, despite pandemic | Technology

Tesla reported record deliveries of electric cars in the last three months of 2020, a distance from reaching the half-million target for the year set by its CEO, Elon Musk.

The annual sales of the California manufacturer increased by 36% after a last quarter that exceeded analysts’ expectations, delivering a total of 499,550 cars in 2020.

Tesla delivered 180,570 electric vehicles between October and December, reaching just over the overall target set by Musk earlier this year before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Covid-19 forced the closure of the US Fremont assembly plant in the spring, but Musk urged employees to increase production to reach the target, and last week offered incentives, including free “self-driving” options worth $ 10,000 for cars. whose documents and delivery were completed in the last days of December.

Despite apparently missing the target, Tesla said it had “produced and delivered half a million vehicles, according to the latest guidelines,” and Musk hailed it as “a major milestone.”

He wrote on Twitter: “So proud of Tesla the team for this major stage! At first Tesla thought we had (optimistically) a 10% chance of surviving. “

More than 509,000 cars were manufactured by the manufacturer in 2020. Production of its Model Y SUV has also begun at its Chinese plant in Shanghai, with deliveries set to begin soon, Tesla said.

Tesla’s share price, which rose eightfold in 2020, ended the year at more than $ 705, valuing the company at $ 669 billion – 20% of which is owned by Musk himself, who is the second richest man in the world. It surpassed Toyota earlier this year as the world’s most valuable carmaker, and last month joined the prestigious S&P Wall Street index, immediately becoming the sixth most valuable listed company.