Tesla has produced one million cars

In 2008, Tesla started selling its first car, the Roadster. It was a pricy electric sports car with a limited run: only about 2,500 were sold, and it took four years for Tesla to announce its first sedan, the Model S. 

Now, 12 years later, Tesla has come a long way. The company’s CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter that Tesla has produced its one millionth car. He accompanied the tweet with a group photo of Tesla employees celebrating the occasion. 

The car in question, at least according to the photo Musk shared, is a red Tesla Model Y, the company’s fifth model, after Roadster, Model X, Model S, and Model 3. The Model Y, a crossover electric SUV that can currently be ordered for $52,990 and up, should be reaching first buyers later this month.

The one million milestone is a huge achievement for Tesla. There was a time, especially during the Model 3 production ramp-up in 2018, when even Musk seemed uncertain whether the company will make it. Musk described the ramp-up, which massively increased Tesla’s output volume, as “production hell” and said 2018 was an “excruciating” year. 

Having overcome the Model 3 production ramp-up hurdle, however, Tesla is doing better than ever, with production, deliveries, revenue and profit all going up in the last quarter of 2019 and the company stock price surging in February. 

Tesla is well-positioned to significantly increase production in the near future. The company started manufacturing cars in China last year, and is currently building its first European Gigafactory in Berlin. In terms of upcoming vehicles, besides the Model Y, Tesla’s got the new Roadster, the Cybertruck, and the Semi lined up, with production start planned for 2020 for the Roadster and Semi and 2021 for the Cybertruck.