-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
engle
Member
pvogel
Member
Spoke to a couple of the production engineers over by the MX Skateboard they had on display. I asked explicitly about whether the cars come off the line in VIN order.
Answer:
For Model S, yes, they come in exactly VIN order. For Model X it's *very close* to VIN order. Every once in a while an adjustment needs to be made in the process and a MX will come off the line temporarily so another few MX will get ahead of it on the line and therefore they don't come off the line in exact VIN order, but not wildly off either.
What that means for me, since my VIN is 200 less than the VINS on display is that my car is definitely "done" as sales indicated, so I'm likely just waiting for Sigs to get theirs soon.
He was very hopeful that the MX ramp is going to crank up significantly soon.
Part of the line was visible and he said the mix of cars on the line there was representative of the current Model S and Model X build rates. Having watched the line fairly carefully every time it moved, I'd say that the ratio is 10-15 S for every 1 X right now.
Another interesting tidbit: As of Jan 4, the line runs 4 days a week with employees working 12 hour shifts, the other 3 days the line has maintenance done, adjustments, etc. Before that folks were working 5 days, 8 hour shifts. They voted to have a 3 day weekend and work longer hours.
Answer:
For Model S, yes, they come in exactly VIN order. For Model X it's *very close* to VIN order. Every once in a while an adjustment needs to be made in the process and a MX will come off the line temporarily so another few MX will get ahead of it on the line and therefore they don't come off the line in exact VIN order, but not wildly off either.
What that means for me, since my VIN is 200 less than the VINS on display is that my car is definitely "done" as sales indicated, so I'm likely just waiting for Sigs to get theirs soon.
He was very hopeful that the MX ramp is going to crank up significantly soon.
Part of the line was visible and he said the mix of cars on the line there was representative of the current Model S and Model X build rates. Having watched the line fairly carefully every time it moved, I'd say that the ratio is 10-15 S for every 1 X right now.
Another interesting tidbit: As of Jan 4, the line runs 4 days a week with employees working 12 hour shifts, the other 3 days the line has maintenance done, adjustments, etc. Before that folks were working 5 days, 8 hour shifts. They voted to have a 3 day weekend and work longer hours.
mymacbook
Member
Did they give you any insight why they are delaying delivery of Production Model X just to finish up Signature if none of those lessons can be given to the already produced Model Xs?
Actually this means you really DON'T want your VIN to be assigned. Perhaps its really smart to order a 90D instead of a P90D just to get the highest quality unit with knowledge from Signature/Founder lines. Sigh.
Actually this means you really DON'T want your VIN to be assigned. Perhaps its really smart to order a 90D instead of a P90D just to get the highest quality unit with knowledge from Signature/Founder lines. Sigh.
There were 4 X's there. I tried to use a bit of social engineering with different reps on the floor but consistent answer that they didn't know anything about production volume.
One who I had met has been with Tesla since 2012 and was part of the S ramp. He said that after the leaks during S ramp they have become very tight lipped with employees downstream customer facing (DS, SC, Sales).
This means if you hear anything from the preceding folks that is not publicly available information or what their computer screen tells them it is probably their own WAG
pvogel
Member
I found that the reps near the cars weren't very helpful. But the guys over by the skateboard were VERY knowledgeable and you could tell when a question was one they knew the answer to but could not share it and when they had a vague enough answer they could give. (i.e. the "line you see is representative of the mix").
We were surprised that they seemed to be doing their own die-casting of the gearbox and motor housings. Apparently the supplier for those (Both S and X) was going under, Tesla bought them and brought all their equipment in-house, but Fremont wasn't going to give them the permit to be doing that kind of work at the factory. Elon said "OK. Well, we're starting die-cast runs on Thursday at this time, here's where I'll be if you need to arrest me. And then we can talk about the 4000 jobs that will be idled because we don't have the parts we need." They got the permits they needed temporarily while zoning gets changed
i actually get a little happier about it each day I don't get assigned a VIN. I waited to reserve til the res #s were in the low thousands figuring on the conventional wisdom about early builds and their learning curve etc. I didn't really think that stuff would be an issue though but ...
umeshunni
Member
Scrith
Member
I was there, the very tall guy in blue. I was just happy to learn that I will fit in my new car. :smile: I did talk to an engineer about the headrests, which were a bit low for me, and he said they will become adjustable after the next software update (he mentioned these are unique to the Model X and that the ones on the Model S do not support being adjusted via software)
I also managed to talk one of the sales people into letting me add the 72A charger to my already finalized order without an extra charge (I will follow-up if/when I see it on my order page, but he seemed pretty certain he could make it happen without incurring the charge).
By the way, there was a fifth Model X there, in a room just before where the restrooms were located (non-signature red with white seats). Having seen them, I cannot imagine anyone with young kids would seriously consider purchasing a vehicle with such bright, white seats! They certainly made the interior look different, though.
Also, I loved the figured ash wood (it was in the titanium car I think)...I am very glad I went with it.
I also managed to talk one of the sales people into letting me add the 72A charger to my already finalized order without an extra charge (I will follow-up if/when I see it on my order page, but he seemed pretty certain he could make it happen without incurring the charge).
By the way, there was a fifth Model X there, in a room just before where the restrooms were located (non-signature red with white seats). Having seen them, I cannot imagine anyone with young kids would seriously consider purchasing a vehicle with such bright, white seats! They certainly made the interior look different, though.
Also, I loved the figured ash wood (it was in the titanium car I think)...I am very glad I went with it.
Last edited:
Gary and Rachel
Member
A very good event. A good crowd but not so many that you couldn't get to the cars. I had a question about the falconwing doors about the Windows. I wanted to know how far they rolled down. Knowing that sensors might be in the way I was happy to see that the Windows went down more than 2/3rds. Sitting in the seat you can rest your arm out the window. Not earth shattering news, just never heard anything about that.
There was indeed a fifth one in the multi coat red vin 441, I had not seen this color in pictures or in person so that was a nice treat. With the white interior and the ash wood. The ash wood looks 95% like the piano wood in S, but under some lighting conditions you can see some wood grains... I think if you want to match the trim in the doors/dash with the back of the seats, that is the best option. If you want contrast then you may want to consider the other options. None of the cars had the black 22 wheels, it seems they are in limited production and going to customer cars instead of their demo cars per one of the reps. I have not seen any pictures with the 22" wheels in black, would be nice if anyone has pictures to share. I'll post mostly pictures of the red mx since I believe that is the least "viewed". Enjoy.
If you have more questions like that, you might want to check out the FAQ: Model X FAQ (wiki) - Page 3
Thanks for the pics!
X Fan
Active Member
I'm surprised with such a large backlog (and with plans to ramp up significantly) that they are not running multiple shifts.....
dwebb66
Member
are you describing the Dark Ash Wood that is nearly black? I think the figured ash is the 'regular' wood trim that shows the grain.
Similar threads
- Article
- Article
