Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
Tesla gave its latest update on Model 3 production Wednesday, and it continues to be delayed. Most of the half a million people who've put down $1,000 deposits won't get their cars until well into 2018.
"The initial phase of manufacturing any new vehicle is always challenging, and the Model 3 production ramp is no exception," Tesla said in its third quarter 2017 update released Wednesday.
In July, when the Model 3 first went into production, Elon Musk said the company would be making 5,000 cars a week by the end of 2017. This week, Tesla revised that estimate, saying the company would hit that target by the end of the first quarter of 2018.
Tesla attributed the delay to the level of automation the company is attempting to pull off in building the Model 3, which is more automated than the production of the Model S or X.
Also on Wednesday, Ford announced an expansion of its car subscription service, Canvas. Instead of buying or leasing a car, Canvas allows drivers to rent cars by the month at an average cost of $400 to$500, including insurance, maintenance, registration, roadside assistance and delivery. Launched in San Francisco earlier this year, it is now available in West L.A. operating from Pacific Palisades to Marina Del Rey.
Earlier this year, Cadillac launched a similar car subscription service called Book. Volvo and Hyundai also offer car subscriptions.