Old-fashioned tent revivals were what traveling preachers often used to restore the faith of outsiders and perform supposed miracles (and sometimes shakedown gullible donors). In a desperate bid to meet demand for his Model 3, Tesla CEO Elon Musk seems to be banking on a similar strategy to right his struggling car company (while some are suspicious this includes the shakedown part).
The clock is ticking for Musk because there are only a few days left for him to fulfill his pledge that the electric car company is capable of producing 5,000 Model 3 sedans a week. If he is successful, he can credit the massive tent—about the size of two football fields—outside his Fremont, California factory for the achievement.
That’s because the tent contains a makeshift assembly line that Musk hastily pulled together for the Model 3, a crucial new offering that is supposed to bring a more affordable electric vehicle to the masses. Musk announced the tent on June 16 on Twitter, saying the company put together an “entirely new general assembly line” using spare parts. The building permit was issued June 13.
Amazing work by Tesla team. Built entire new general assembly line in 3 weeks w minimal resources. Love u guys so much! Pic of 1st Model 3 dual motor performance coming off the line … pic.twitter.com/Xr55P3fmGd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 16, 2018
Musk called it “pretty sweet” while auto manufacturing observers deride it as “basically, nuts,” writes Bloomberg. “Words fail me. It’s insanity,” said Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.’s Max Warburton, who benchmarked auto-assembly plants around the world before becoming a financial analyst, according to Bloomberg.
It is unclear if the new line is fully operational. The tent was recently surrounded by large trucks, which obstruct the view.
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