【1990 Archives】

Tesla delivered a record number of its electric cars in the past three months: 95990 Archives356 vehicles.

But what that number doesn't show is how many of those cars were the car company's newest Model 3 sedan: 77,634 cars. That means only 17,722 Model X and S were ordered and delivered, down more than 20 percent from last year. This has Tesla CEO Elon Musk a bit concerned for the future of his original car lines, as it seems the Model 3's success is coming at the cost of his other vehicles.

During a second quarter earnings call Wednesday, Musk called the Model X SUV and Model S luxury sedan "great products," but not from a volume standpoint. Instead, he's focused on the company's newer cars, including one that hasn't even started production. "The future of Tesla is primarily the Model 3 and Model Y," he said.

The Model Y, the compact SUV unveiled earlier this year, is only starting to prep for production at Tesla's Fremont car plant, but is expected to start manufacturing by fall 2020. Musk has pegged the company's ongoing success on the lower-cost SUV, anticipated as a high-demand car. The Model X starts at $84,000. Musk has promised the Y will be closer to $40,000.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

He admitted that S and X demand "should be higher" and pondered aloud about a "false expectation in the market that there's some overhaul in the S and X market." But there's no new designs for the Tesla classics, he assured, just consistent improvements to the cars during each new production. The Model S first arrived in 2012 and the X in 2015.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Musk gave credit to the theory that the Model 3 is cannibalizing X and S sales. "I think there's some cannibalization," he conceded.

But still, "The S and X are nice," he noted with a laugh. "Without them we couldn't spell 'sexy.'" All of Tesla's car names rearranged make up the word "S3XY." But the waning sales are worrying for the company's profitability. Automotive analysis firm Edmunds didn't put much weight into Tesla's record deliveries. Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds executive director of insights, wrote in an email, "Model S and Model X are getting stale and Tesla needs to do something to keep shoppers interested in these higher profit vehicles."

SEE ALSO: Tesla breaks quarterly record with 95,200 delivered cars

Tesla wasn't profitable again this quarter, losing more than $408 million and pulling in lower-than-expected revenue of $6.35 billion.

The record numbers are also tied into a rush to receive as much of Tesla's dwindling federal tax credit for its electric vehicles. The once $7,500 subsidy is down to $1,875 and will be gone by next year.

Without that incentive, things might be looking less sexy for Tesla.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Tesla's auto-pilot painted in good light in own safety report, but it isn’t that simple

---

Topics Electric Vehicles Tesla Elon Musk

• Tech
• Life
• Deals
• Games
• Entertainment
• Science
• Social Good
• Shopping

• The Sound and the “Furious”
• CrowdStrike outage: We just got more info on what, exactly, caused the chaos
• Best Amazon deal: GoPro Hero10 bundle 23% off for Prime members
• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal: Save $5 on one month
• Waymo data shows humans are terrible drivers compared to AI
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for July 24
• Has social media made sightseeing deeply uncool?
• NASA shares 25 jaw
• Waitin’ on the Student Debt Jubilee
• Wait, so Samsung is releasing yet another foldable called Galaxy Z Fold 6 Slim?

• Oscars shocker: 'La La Land' announced as Best Picture, but 'Moonlight' wins
• This giraffe birth livestream is driving the internet insane
• Jimmy Kimmel wasted no time in making a few Trump jokes at the Oscars
• This seal delightedly hugging a toy version of itself is your new wallpaper
• The game that reveals how hacktivism thrives when government becomes oppressive
• The Oscars red carpet was its own live action 'Beauty and the Beast'
• YouTube comes to Comcast's X
• Let's read way too much into this cryptic video of Lorde drinking soda
• 'Homeland' sees 'The Return' of some old friends
• You'll cry just as hard at Viola Davis' Oscars speech as you did at 'Fences'

• The cicadas aren't invading the U.S.
• Best laptop deal: Get the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 3 for just $289.99
• Best cleaning deals: $30 off the HOTO Electric Spin Scrubber
• Best Keruig deal: Keurig K
• The Sound and the “Furious”
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for July 28
• Uzbekistan vs. Spain Paris 2024 livestream: Watch the soccer match for free
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for July 25
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 5
• 'Deadpool and Wolverine's foul

• Best robot vacuum deal: Get the Roborock Q5 Max for 53% off at Amazon
• NYT Strands hints, answers for July 28
• Best cleaning deals: $30 off the HOTO Electric Spin Scrubber
• NYT Strands hints, answers for July 25
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 18: Tips to solve Connections #237
• Elon Musk sets new date for Tesla's Robotaxi reveal
• Best smartwatch deal: The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm, Bluetooth) is 25% off at Amazon.
• Best espresso machine deal: Save $100 on the Bella Pro Series espresso machine at Best Buy
• Philips now allows customers to 3D print replacement parts
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for July 27