That was fast. Production time.

[IT Geek]

Got an email from Tesla just before 9AM on Sunday (Jan 29) telling me that they were starting to build my Model S. So I immediately checked out the forums to see what the typical time is for the car to go through production and saw numbers anywhere from 4-10 days

Well, yesterday (Jan 30) just before midnight I got another email from them telling me that production was complete and that now the car is getting prepared for transit (it's going to Chicago...probably by train from what I've read).

They're still giving me a very large three week window for when they think it will be ready for delivery though (Feb 16 - Mar 2). But that seems like a quick time for them to produce the car compared to what I've read.

Anyway...getting a bit excited now to see the continuing updates on how long it takes them to get the car from Cali to Chicago. Fun stuff...

 

[wiredprairie]

Shorter production seems to be normal now. Our S was started on December 9, 2016 and finished on December 11th.

We picked up our car at the Highland Park, IL location. It arrived on the 19th, so only a 7-8 day journey.

Congratulations on your new car!

 

[Andyw2100]

The apparently short production time could also be due to the email message that tells you that production has started being sent late.

 

[Cosmacelf]

What was the time lag between finalizing your order and the production email?

 

[P100DHG.]

how long from when your order was confirmed till you got the email regarding your car going into production?

 

[wiredprairie]

Mine happened to be November 16th. (And then in production the 11th of December)

Have a look here for a lot of detail about the status of orders and builds: Model S Order & Delivery 2017

 

[IT Geek]

The apparently short production time could also be due to the email message that tells you that production has started being sent late.

Perhaps, but my DS was telling me that the car was slated to go into production the Week of January 30th. I found it odd that I got an email from them on a Sunday. Didn't know/think that they were rolling cars out on the weekend too.

What was the time lag between finalizing your order and the production email?

That's a tough one to answer. I purposely delayed the start of the build on the car as I was hoping that I would be able to switch to the 100D and keep the Free Unlimited SC, but that didn't pan out. I stayed with the 90D that I had on order. So they didn't begin building the car as soon as they could...they started relative to when I told them I wanted to take delivery.

I'm due to pickup right downtown (West Grand Avenue). I'd be very happy if it got there and was ready by the 16th, otherwise my own schedule is going to likely push things out till the end of February..

 

[P100DHG.]

So what I can tell is that orders whose delivery destinations are furthest from Fremont, CA get produced first, probably to compensate for transportation times to meet the delivery deadlines. It looks like since I am in Burbank CA and transportation is likely one day or two at most my production date is going to be very close to my delivery timeline of February-Early March (pretty broad if you ask me). I called Tesla to try to coax a confession out of them and they just wouldn't budge an inch. Wouldn't even give me a general estimate of when my car might go into production because if it didn't I'd be disappointed. I guess it's better to error on the side of definitely disappointed than possibly disappointed. Cause I'm impatient and I want it NOW!

 

[IT Geek]

Got another email from my DS today and he informed me that the car is now in quality control and testing and from there it goes to get prepped to be loaded on the train to Chicago. He implied that those activities would take about two weeks and that he expected the car to arrive in Chicago during the week of the 13th. Not sure if that means I'll have it by the 16th (which would be the best date for me) or not, but hopefully that works out. I'm impatient too.

 

[P100DHG.]

How does the website reflect? It is as accurate and up to date as the emails?

 

[ThisIsTrue]

Perhaps, but my DS was telling me that the car was slated to go into production the Week of January 30th. I found it odd that I got an email from them on a Sunday. Didn't know/think that they were rolling cars out on the weekend too.

FWIW, I did a factory tour early this month, and the guide said the factory runs 6 days/week.

 

[NikeWings]

The apparently short production time could also be due to the email message that tells you that production has started being sent late.

yep
after an agonizing 45 days of silence last year, and watching order after order in the tracker pass me by, i received 3 emails within hours of each other. 1 your car has entered production, 2 your car has completed production and prepared for shipment, 3 your delivery time is estimated to be 3 days. boom boom boom i couldnt take any more excitement that day.

 

[IT Geek]

How does the website reflect? It is as accurate and up to date as the emails?

Yes, for me it has been. The expected delivery date on the website "My Tesla" was revised when production was complete and it aligns well with the info that my DS has provided.

 

[Sawyer8888]

My order was placed at a Tesla showroom on a Sunday evening, 02/26 and yet somehow it can be delivered as early as 03/24, only 26 days later (19 working days)? Normally I would be happy to have something delivered earlier than expected. However, for a large purchase/custom order like this, the last thing I want is for something to be rushed, especially considering all the trim and fit issues I have been reading about on this site. As of today the status shows our vehicle is still in production.

This was not an inventory order. We only requested the $5000 autopilot feature and the multi-coat red on a MS 60. In fact, our VIN was assigned on the day we placed out order. Tesla's website states, "About a month and a half before your vehicle enters production you will be assigned a vehicle identification number (VIN)."

I called Tesla's customer service number and I was advised that having the delivery window moved up so much was unusual. My Delivery Specialist followed up with me just now to offer an explanation regarding European orders and US orders and how some orders can get moved up once all European orders are satisfied. ??? I don't know. "Under promise and over-deliver was also mentioned." Apparently we or our sales rep also selected "rush delivery" when placing our order.

Yes. It is better to be early rather than late. However unexpected changes, especially when trying to coordinate financing options and an electrician to install the 240 outlet is a bit stressful. Tesla's own FAQ section indicates financing details must be provided within 30 days of delivery. My biggest concern is just having the car produced so quickly where there is a possibility of rushing something that will lead to a shop visit all too soon. Thoughts?

 

[jaguar36]

My biggest concern is just having the car produced so quickly where there is a possibility of rushing something that will lead to a shop visit all too soon. Thoughts?

They don't rush a car down the assembly line, they all go the same speed. It only takes a few hours to assemble the car and then a week or so to transport it. Its really just a matter of how many cars were ahead of yours in the queue when you ordered, and if they will have the parts ready for when your scheduled production date would be. The actual production time is basically irrelevant.

(This does of course ignore the fact that they may be running the whole line faster than they should be, which is causing some qualitly issues, but that will effect the whole production, not just your individual car)

 

[IT Geek]

Well...you can always slow the process down a bit. I pushed my delivery back about two weeks later after I got the notice of when it would be sent to Chicago. Now they may be reluctant to deliver the car after the end of the quarter if they are trying to make quarterly numbers look good...but that should be your decision on when you take delivery. If it has not entered production yet, then you should also be able to tell them that you want to take delivery in April or May and they will move it to the back of the line. That wont' be true if it's already built though. Then you'll just have to coordinate with your Delivery person to see if you can leave the car there for an extra week or so (like I did) before you pick it up.

I agree with the above post though. The line moves at the same speed for all cars so that should be the same whenever you order. It seems like the accelerate delivery near the end of quarters though. I've heard of cars going by truck instead of train when they are in crunch time.

 

[Sawyer8888]

Thank you for your responses Jaguar36 and IT Geek. Commentary such as this would have been extremely beneficial at the point of sale, or at least close to that time. Perhaps I am asking for too much in having my expectations set properly by the sales team. IMO, it would have been more accurate to set a deliver time frame of Late March - early May as opposed to indicating the earliest possible time would be late April.

It does seem unusual to me that the company would figure that it is best to under-promise in an attempt to surprise you later. In any case, I will likely have to delay the delivery due to other plans that have already been made based on the initial delivery time frame that was provided.

One thought before I wrap this up is that orders probably dropped off quite a bit after the 01/15/17 deadline when unlimited supercharging was discontinued. Just a guess, but this may have contributed to quicker production turn times.

Thank you again for your help.

 

[Sawyer8888]

...quicker "delivery" turn times.