Tesla CEO Elon Musk: Model 3 customers will “definitely” get their car

Watch Gayle King’s full report Friday, April 13, 2018 on “CBS This Morning,” which airs 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET/PT. He will give the first-ever look inside the Model 3 production line and explain why its production delays have been worse than expected.  

Tesla CEO Elon Musk knows the future of his electric car company depends on his ability to mass produce quality, affordable cars. But he also admits he’s fallen behind on the production goals for the popular Model 3. On Tuesday, “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King asked Musk about the hundreds of thousands of people who put down thousand-dollar deposits and still have not received their cars.

“Should customers be worried? Should they be worried about what’s happening with their Model 3 and when they will get their Model 3?” King asked Musk. 

“No – it’s best to look at this not in an exact, numerical way, but in a, on a calendar basis….There shouldn’t be a question mark as to whether somebody’s gonna get their car, it’s just, yes, you’ll definitely get your car. It’s gonna be six to nine months longer than expected,” he replied. “It’s a six-to-nine-month time shift, that’s literally it, and three of those months have already passed.”

Asked if there’s been many cancelled orders by customers frustrated by the long wait, Musk said, “It’s mostly like people cancel because, you know, they just needed a car and we didn’t have a car for them.”

“But do you feel, Elon Musk, personally a lot of pressure and a big burden on your shoulders because so many people believe in this product and believe in this company because of you?” King asked. 

“Okay. Well, I hope their faith is not misplaced,” he said.