Tesla delivered a record-breaking 499,550 cars in 2020, built even more

Even though the coronavirus pandemic hit the automotive industry extremely hard across all sectors, 2020 was a record-breaking year for Tesla. The company has issued a press release about its Q4 2020 performance in terms of production and customer deliveries, along with the final numbers for the year that just ended.

In the final quarter of 2020, Tesla manufactured 179,757 units and delivered 180,570. For the entire year, the EV marque produced a total of 509,737 units at its Fremont and Shanghai factories. Deliveries stood at 499,550 or a mere 450 shy of Elon Musk’s goal to hit the half-million mark for the first time ever.

Elon Musk’s ambitious target can still be technically hit as the press release issued by Tesla says the final numbers can vary by up to 0.5 percent or even more. The company will have the final tally during the Q4 2020 earnings call later this January. The difference stems from the fact Tesla counts a delivery only when the car is in the owner’s possession and the documents have been finalized. In other words, the provisional figure is slightly conservative and could see an increase.

To the surprise of no one, most cars produced and delivered in 2020 were the more affordable Model 3 and Model Y. Tesla churned out a combined 454,932 units and shipped 442,511 to owners across the world. The larger and more expensive Model S and Model X were manufactured in 54,805 units and 57,039 were delivered to clients.

2021 is likely the year when Tesla will try and boost sales of the Model S and Model X by giving the two models an update. As a matter of fact, the sedan was just spotted outside the firm’s headquarters featuring a series of exterior changes. In addition, we’re also expecting the tri-motor Plaid version to finally take on the Porsche Taycan Turbo S.