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Rumor: First Model 3's will NOT be custom orders, rather pre-built units

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Batching makes sense, and also ties in with the Model 3 idea that there will be a limited number of available configurations/variants. A production line runs fastest when it is simply building the same thing over and over. So they may run for a few days producing variant 1, then during the late shift switch over to run for a couple days producing variant 2, etc. The idea must be that this approach produces cars faster than having the production line designed from the start to be able to produce all possible variants for any car running down the line, even accounting for the down time required to switch between variants. If you have 8 possible total configurations, this is doable, if you have 80, maybe not so much.

My takeaway is that if the "run time" for any variant is short enough (i.e. days not weeks), that this will have no noticeable affect on how fast cars end up getting delivered to customers. Actually, in thinking about it, if cars are getting produced faster, the customers are likely to also get their cars sooner.

Getting the job done in the most efficient and fastest manner possible. Elon's software background shining through. :)

RT
 
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I don't see this as a negative, but rather as another thing they're doing to streamline production for an order of magnitude jump in quantity. When you really parse this down, there's not much of a change here from the buyer's perspective. We already knew that there would be fewer options choices out of the gate on Model 3. So what's the effective difference between these scenarios:
  • Me sending in a requested configuration to Tesla, them including that build in a scheduled production batch, and then delivering the vehicle to me
  • Me sending in a requested configuration to Tesla, them scheduling a production batch, matching one of those vehicles to my requested configuration, and then delivering the vehicle to me
Answer: the second option allows Tesla to build vehicles in whatever order makes the most sense for them. With hundreds of thousands of reservations (vs thousands or low tens of thousands), they will be able to match vehicles to orders easily. They already don't build vehicles in the exact order in which they're ordered, but rather they batch things to make production more efficient. I see this as just another extension of that concept, and frankly one that I see as a positive enabler to assist in the gigantic jump in production levels that Tesla aspires to.

If this allows the ramp to go even a slight bit more quickly, I find it to be good news.
 
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This is a low cost mass market vehicle. Makes sense at first to mass produce identical vehicles until they get the production line up to speed.
Every new car I have bought has been from dealer inventory where you have a limited selection of colors, options, etc. Once I tried to custom order a vehicle and the salesman threw such a hissy fit that I ended up with an inventory vehicle (at a better discount).
 
I agree that this would certainly be a better way to ramp up production and get cars into the market quickly. My requirements (as I'm learning as of late) are a bit loose anyway. Big battery is really the main requirement. I am flexible on color and options. I mean heck, this is how I bought just about every other car I've ever had.
 
I think it is great that Tesla will be producing in the most expeditious way possible. It means that the tax rebate will apply to a larger fraction of Tesla production. It allows people who cannot afford the vehicle at full price to close the transaction.

Really smart. Really good for Tesla customers. Really good for Tesla employees. Really good for Tesla stockholders.
 
I don't think this was the reaction bro was expecting...

No, it is pretty much as expected. Elon could go "Model 3 is delayed a year to make it better!" and most people on here would applaud the decision.

Elon: No AWD/P versions at launch.
Fans: No problem!

Elon: No HUD
Fans: .....uh...., OK, no problem!

Elon: Pre-built inventory units will be available before custom orders
Fans: If that means more Model 3's available initially, awesome, no problem!!

 
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No, it is pretty much as expected. Elon could go "Model 3 is delayed a year to make it better!" and most people on here would applaud the decision.

Elon: No AWD/P versions at launch.
Fans: No problem!

Elon: No HUD
Fans: .....uh...., OK, no problem!

Elon: Pre-built inventory units will be available before custom orders
Fans: If that means more Model 3's available initially, awesome, no problem!!
Based on how the Model X was released, this would be okay only if they did this for the based model (35K version) first. Otherwise let folks custom order the vehicle they want.
 
First cars will be all the same because they will be made in relatively small quantities. Lets keep in mind that 10000 a week will be eventually a norm but initially it will be months before 10k cars leave factory.

Once high volume is reached buyers will not even notice that the cars are being build in batches.

Edit: I still expect that some features will be customizable such as wheels and color.
 
There's no such thing as bona fide custom vehicles when a factory makes 10000 cars / wk. The rarest mixes will still have dozens or even hundreds of orders a month.
Its also a matter of limiting the number of options. For every binary option added, the number of configurations double.
Instead offer 20-30 canned configurations, ranging from absolutely bare to fully loaded, for instance above a certain level L5 autonomy is mandatory, above a certain level the big battery and AWD are mandatory, below a certain level L5 is unavailable, and so on. Perhaps some features can be installed after the vehicle leaves the assembly line and can remain fully flexible, those might even be installable at the service center prior to delivery. The only flexible item outside of the canned configurations for sure might be color.
I fully expect Tesla will batch up entire factory shifts that will build the same exact vehicle (or half/third a shift). With a few graveyard shifts once a week or even more rarely picking up the odd configurations and changing profile several times mid shift. The weirder the order it, the slower it will take to be produced.
That's how mass production is done folks. The more flexibility, the slower production is.
No surprises here so far.
This isn't a Model S/X.
I think there will be a lot of disappointment when the configurator is released to those that fantasized that M3 would be just like MS in richness of options.
M3 isn't a cheaper+smaller MS. MY won't be a cheaper/smaller MX.
 
It remains to be seen if this rumor is true. But if Telsa plans to start production with a basic configuration and then later progress to multiple configurations that may well be the smart way to maximize the production ramp.

And if in the long run the Model 3 has "packages" of options and fewer configuration choices that would make production easier and further serve to differentiate it from the S/X.

That said, the S/X have very few option choices compared to other vehicles in their price range.
 
Have the design studio open as soon as possible.

Months out, figure out what the most popular options are, and make cars close to those choices.

When it comes to a certain date, you can get a pick of a bunch of similar cars to what you put in the design studio, or keep your exact custom car for a later date.

Sounds ok to me.

Hopefully that will allow some people to get theirs faster, and not push custom people too much.