Tesla Investor Day 2023: the manufacturer explains the reasons for its quality problems
Although some criticize Tesla for not having confirmed the arrival of new models to his Investor Day annual from March 1st 2023, the presentation still contained a lot of interesting information about the manufacturer. Among the topics that were discussed on stage, Tesla officials took the time to explain the multiple production challenges surrounding the Model 3 that resulted in quality issues.
When Tesla Stylist Franz Von Holzhausen and Head of Engineering Lars Moravy took over the scene, they took a few minutes to step back in time when mass production of the Model 3 began. .
They first explained that in the very early days of the company, when the Model S was designed, Tesla didn’t even know where it was going to build the vehicle. In short, the Model S had been designed as an exclusive model built in limited quantities and using very little automation on the assembly line.
“Back in the Model S days, we weren’t building cars like we are today. We drew them, we applied the notions of engineering and, then, we tried to see how we could build it” – explained Mr. Von Holzhausen.
In fact, what we understand from the conversation between the two men is that Tesla was evolving very quickly. A victim of her own success, she soon found herself in a situation where she was building the plane while it was flying. In other words, if the Model 3 had been designed with the old methods of the manufacturer, the arrival of automation at its factory in Fremont, California, came to upset the project.
“The product (the Model 3) was great, but it pushed us into production hell (Production Hell). Those who were there during this period carry with them the scars of war. Automating something that was originally designed to be built manually turns out to be very difficult. We had to revise several sections of the assembly line following failures during the construction of the vehicles”, added Mr. Moravy on stage.
Without admitting that the vehicles suffered from quality problems, Lars Moravy admitted that the entire production method of the Model 3 had to be reviewed. “We really don’t build them like before.” He then talked about Tesla’s vision for production and added that this rapid learning will allow him to build better and much more efficient vehicles in the future.
This is actually its Highland project which aims to significantly improve the quality of its next models. A good update of the Model 3 and Model Y is also planned very soon, according to the statements of the company.
Conclusion
In 2023, it’s strange to hear an automaker talk about it that way, but, in the case of Tesla, you have to take a step back and realize that the company is still very young. Recall that, unlike most manufacturers who have several decades of experience in manufacturing automobiles, Tesla has been doing it for barely 10 years only, 5 years even in an automated and large-scale way. It must therefore be understood that it is still in learning.
However, we can understand consumers being frustrated at having paid for a new car and ending up with major quality defects. We denounce any manufacturer who makes consumers pay for their mistakes. That being said, however, we tip our hats to Tesla for moving very quickly in automobile manufacturing, recognizing the problem and providing solutions.
