This week was not particularly kind to electric vehicle manufacturer, Tesla. Elon Musk's outfit has been chugging along on the back half of the year, however, things have not been going as smoothly as planned.
Then again, with Musk and Tesla when is it ever?
While we've become accustomed to the Iron Man CEO's super rosy forecasts and aggressive timelines, I think it's safe to say at this point that the Model 3's launch has been essentially a complete cock up.
And then there was this week's financial figures that came out and were staggeringly bad.
But this tends to be where Musk shines. You know, when things are looking at their worst — he's a clutch player. Many — even I — were doubtful that Tesla could become a legitimate automotive company. The same guys that took a Lotus chassis and stuffed batteries into it? And now look at it. While its volume is low compared to other manufacturers, it completely disrupted the industry and has redefined cool at a time when there was waning public interest in automobiles.
What we know at this stage:
1) Everything is riding on the success of the Model 3;
2) It seems that Musk's swagger is wearing thin on the investing community;
3) The Model 3's production still has not been sorted out and cars are only trickling off the production line, which is far slower than anticipated; and,
4) The EV big rig is to be announced this month.
Tesla remains one of the gnarliest beasts right now when it comes to a company and an equity. To me it seems like anything can happen at this point. That being said, I've got to ask: Is it time to start the death clock?