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Investor's Corner

Tesla Model 3 production nearing 3,000 per week, according to online tracker

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Tesla’s Model 3 production ramp appears to be nearing 3,000 vehicles per week, with recent updates from Bloomberg’s online tracker and CBS’s interview with CEO Elon Musk seemingly suggesting that the company is on its way to achieving another milestone in the manufacturing of its mass-market compact electric car.

Over the past couple of days, Bloomberg’s Model 3 online tracker, which utilizes data from government resources, social media reports, direct sightings and communication from Tesla owners, has exhibited an uptick in the production of the electric car. By Monday, the tracker was estimating that Tesla was closing in on the 3,000 mark, with the company producing 2,866 Model 3 in a week. The publication’s estimates also suggest that Tesla has manufactured a total of 16,662 units as of date.

Considering Tesla’s goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 per week by the end of the second quarter, the estimated boost in the manufacture of the electric car from Bloomberg appears to be in line with the company’s timeline.

Apart from the publication’s tracker, another clue about the production of the Model 3 might have been inadvertently dropped by Tesla during CEO Elon Musk’s interview with Gayle King of CBS This Morning. In one segment of the interview, Musk and King went over to the room where the CEO had been sleeping in, with the two candidly talking about how the area was not conducive to resting.

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One of the whiteboards in the conference room where Musk was sleeping at featured records for the production numbers in the facility. Looking closely at the text on the board, it is evident that it was used as a means to track the numbers of the Model S and Model X line.

During Musk’s interview, however, there was only one field that was filled in — vehicles built in one day. Considering that Musk was literally sleeping in that specific room, members of the Tesla forum community are speculating that the number might be pertaining to the Model 3 production line. Quite interestingly, the board indicates that the record number of vehicles built in a day was 435, which is in line with Bloomberg’s 3,000 per week estimate.

Quite interestingly, Musk’s latest figures for the Model 3’s production in the CBS This Morning interview was roughly 2,071 per week, which corresponds to approximately 300 vehicles per day. With Musk addressing the issues with the Model 3 line in real-time, however, it is not difficult to speculate that Tesla has increased its manufacturing rate in a short period of time.

Tesla is currently targeting a production rate of 5,000 Model 3 in a week by the end of the second quarter. Just recently, Elon Musk provided a brief update on the release of the dual-motor AWD option for the Model 3, stating that the configuration will be available once the company attains its 5,000 a week goal, which would likely happen around July. Musk also noted that the release of the white seats for the mass market compact electric sedan would probably be rolled out at the same time.

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Watch Elon Musk’s interview with CBS This Morning in the video below.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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SpaceX Starship Flight 13 aborted at Zero and Musk just told us what broke

Four Raptor engines failed to ignite at T-zero, forcing SpaceX to scrub Starship Flight 13 Thursday.

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SpaceX scrubbed the Starship Flight 13 launch attempt Thursday evening at the last possible moment, after four of the Super Heavy booster’s 33 Raptor 3 engines failed to ignite during the startup sequence. The 90-minute window had opened at 6:45 p.m. EDT from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, and the countdown had proceeded without issue all day, with more than 11.5 million pounds of liquid methane and liquid oxygen being fully loaded into the rocket before the automated abort triggered. SpaceX’s launch directors posted on X, “Standing down from today’s flight test attempt,” and shut down the livestream shortly after.

Musk confirmed the root cause within hours. “Some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort,” he wrote on X. “To be confident of a good flight, 2 Raptors will be removed and replaced. Most probable launch timing is early next week.” SpaceX engineers began draining propellant tanks immediately and Booster 20 was rolled back to its hangar for inspection.

SpaceX comes with a slew of changes for Starship Flight 13

 

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The timing adds a layer of significance that did not exist during any of the previous 12 Starship flights. This is the first time SpaceX has attempted to launch Starship since the company made its stock market debut in June, listing under ticker SPCX at $135 per share. Public investors are now watching every Starship outcome in real time, and a last-second abort carries more visibility than it would have six months ago.

Flight 13 was designed to be one of the most consequential tests in the program’s history. It was set to carry 20 Starlink V3 satellites, the first operational payload Starship has ever attempted to deploy. Six of those satellites carried external cameras to photograph Starship’s heat shield from the outside during flight, which would act as a self-inspection approach SpaceX has never attempted before. The mission also needed to complete a Raptor engine relight in space, a step SpaceX skipped on Flight 12 in May after losing an engine during ascent. That Flight 12 booster also flipped 90 degrees off course during its boostback burn when five engines failed to reignite.

SpaceX has not announced an official next launch date. Musk’s “early next week” window points to July 21 or 22 at the earliest, pending the engine swap and a return to the pad.

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Investor's Corner

Lucid CEO dispels any rumors of bankruptcy: ‘So far from the facts’

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Credit: Lucid

Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.

The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.

The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

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Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”

Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”

Napoli said:

“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.

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As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.

We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.

My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.

I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”

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It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.

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Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.

Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.

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Investor's Corner

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

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Credit: Lucid

Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.

Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”

Twork said:

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Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.

Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.

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Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.

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