AI illustration: 20,000 Model 3s per month by December 2017
Missed

20,000 Model 3s per month by December 2017

“Looks like we can reach 20,000 Model 3 cars per month in Dec”
What actually happened

Production hell intervened. Tesla built just 2,425 Model 3s in the entire fourth quarter of 2017 and delivered 1,550 — roughly one-eighth of the promised December monthly rate across the whole quarter. Tesla's own Q4 2017 production release blamed battery-module bottlenecks at Gigafactory 1. CNBC — Tesla Q4 2017 production and delivery numbers ↗

The Progression

Jul 2, 2017
Dec 31, 2017
Deadline passed. Production hell intervened. Tesla built just 2,425 Model 3s in the entire fourth quarter of 2017 and delivered 1,550 — roughly one-eighth of the promised December monthly rate across the whole quarter. Tesla's own Q4 2017 production release blamed battery-module bottlenecks at Gigafactory 1. CNBC — Tesla Q4 2017 production and delivery numbers ↗
Today · Jun 12, 2026
Status: Missed · 3 days late. Never happened.

Two weeks before the first Model 3 handover, Musk tweeted that production 'grows exponentially' and Tesla looked set to reach 20,000 Model 3s per month in December 2017. The actual Q4 2017 number was 2,425 built and 1,550 delivered, kicking off the 'production hell' era that pushed the 5,000-per-week milestone to July 2018.

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LAST CHECKED 2026-06-12

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