Tesla delivered a record 343,830 vehicles in the third quarter of 2022, a sign that the Elon Musk-owned company has recovered from a slower second quarter related to COVID-related plant closures.
In a report on the automaker’s siteTesla says the Model S and X accounted for 18,672 of its quarterly deliveries, while the Model 3 and Y accounted for 325,158. Tesla made a total of 365,923 cars in the quarter, leaving about 20,000 cars in inventory.
The automaker clarifies that some of these electric vehicles (EVs) “were in transit at the end of the quarter,” adding that they “have been ordered and will be delivered to customers upon arrival at their destination.” Tesla also notes that during these peak logistical weeks, it was difficult to “secure vehicle transportation capacity and at a reasonable cost,” which is why some EVs still haven’t been delivered.
Last year, Musk told employees to stop rushing to increase quarterly deliveries and instead focus on minimizing transportation costs. Musk echoed that sentiment in a response to a user on Twitter, who asked Musk to elaborate on the challenges Tesla faces in vehicle transportation.
“Smoothing out the crazy delivery wave at the end of the quarter to accelerate costs and relieve stress from the Tesla team. Striving for more stable deliveries within the quarter,” Musk writes on Twitter. “The customer experience suffers when there is a rush at the end of the quarter. Stable as she goes is the right move.”
Update October 2, 3:29 PM ET: Updated to add a tweet and statement from Elon Musk.