Tesla Motors has prohibited the entry of potential buyers and owners in its Fremont, Calif. factory. The move comes as a surprise as factory tours are usually encouraged by the firm. This could mean the company is preparing to begin production of the Model X SUV, says a report from Gas2.org.
No more tours to Tesla’s Fremont factory
The claims from the Gas2.org report do make sense. Tesla’s Model X is expected to be available before the end of the third quarter. With just a few weeks remaining in the quarter, test production of the car might have started. Staff training was started by the end of June. In support of his conclusion, Zachary Shahan of Gas2.org cited a few reports that claimed the vehicle is finally set for production.
Tours to the Fremont factory have been a favorite for fans who want to get an idea of the upcoming vehicles from the firm. Now it seems Tesla CEO Elon Musk has decided to hide its mos-anticipated vehicle, the Model X, from public eyes for now. Though the EV maker is open about its patents, it appears it wants to keep some processes as secret. Maybe the firm does not want to publicize the way it arranges its production line. Tesla has not revealed many of the specifications for the Model X, and with the closure of tours, it seems it will not be revealing much until the delivery date arrives.
Fans excited about the Model X
Overall, Wall Street is quite optimistic for the Model X, but analysts have widely varying views on the number of Model X units the company could sell. Adam Jones of Morgan Stanley is quite hopeful that the firm will be able to sell 50 units in the third quarter and more than 5,000 by the year’s end. Ben Kallo of Baird believes the company will be able to sell 7,000 units before year-end. Advance booking of the car has already touched 20,000 units, and it is expected that the backlog won’t be cleared until the first quarter of next year.
On Thursday, Tesla Motors shares closed up 1.13% at $266.79, and year to date, the stock is up by over 20%.
