Tesla previously said it would begin production of the gull-winged Model X before the end of this year, but in its quarterly earnings conference call (via Car and Driver) the carmaker announced that it’s pushing the launch back to the third quarter of 2015.
CEO Elon Musk and CFO Deepak Ahuja blamed the delay on the need for additional testing. Musk said Tesla decided to “build in significantly more validation testing time,” and noted that the recently-announced dual-motor all-wheel drive system for the Model S is considered a development stage for the crossover.
The Model X is expected to use the same all-wheel drive system, and it will be based on the same platform as the Model S. Styling – as previewed by the prototypes Tesla as trotted out on numerous occasions – should be similar as well, but with the addition of those show-stopping gullwing doors.
Related: Unplugged Performance Tesla Model S debuts at SEMA 2014
With more than 20,000 deposits reportedly received for the Model X, there’s apparently considerable interest in Tesla’s first crossover, but those potential customers have already had to exercise a modicum of patience, as the Model X has already been delayed once.
This time around, Tesla is spinning the delay as something positive.
“We prefer to forgo revenue,” a company statement said, “rather than bring a product to market that does not delight customers.”
To the investors addressed in the conference call, Musk and Ahuja said that “there are many other companies that do not follow this philosophy that may be a more attractive home for investor capital.”
Clearly Tesla doesn’t have a problem standing up to its investors, but what about the customers who are still waiting to buy a Model X?
