Tesla had a very productive first quarter of the calendar year, as the automaker announced Friday that it delivered a record 10,030 vehicles between January and March 2015, marking a quarterly record and a 55 percent year-over-year increase over Q1 2014’s deliveries.
This also made it the first time Tesla announced delivery figures within three days of the previous quarter’s end, and the company plans to continue doing things this way going forward. “We have decided to take this approach, because inaccurate sources of information are sometimes used by others to project the number of vehicle deliveries,” said Tesla in a statement. Typically, automakers announce vehicle sales per month, as opposed to quarterly.
Analysts were mostly pleased with Tesla’s move toward greater transparency, as its previous figures tended to be as inconsistent as the company’s practices were different from those of other auto manufacturers. “They try so hard to practice different norms than the rest of the auto industry,” said Edmunds senior analyst Jessica Caldwell. “I think it’s one sign, at least, of conforming.” She added that prior to this new announcement, getting numbers from the Department of Motor Vehicles was the most accurate way of doing so.
Other analysts pointed out that Tesla’s record quarter, while impressive by company standards, won’t be enough to achieve CEO Elon Musk’s goal of 55,000 deliveries this year if figures were annualized. “He still needs to get the rate of production and sales improved to a pretty good chunk between now and the end of the year,” said Kelley Blue Book’s Karl Brauer.
As of now, Tesla is selling only one vehicle, the Model S electric sedan that recently got the much-vaunted “range anxiety” update. The Model X crossover, on the other hand, is due for a summer release.