Tesla's Model X Launch Event Is Officially Sept. 29 Tesla will deliver the first of its electric SUVs, the third model for the electric car company.
By Katie Fehrenbacher •
This story originally appeared on Fortune Magazine
The official invites are out for Tesla's Model X launch event, which will be held the night of September 29th at Tesla's factory in Fremont, Calif.
The long-awaited Model X, an electric sports utility vehicle, is the company's third car, and it's an important proving point for Tesla. With the Model X, Tesla is attempting to show that it can follow up its highly successful Model S sedan with another hit, and the car will also help Tesla transition into selling multiple products.
The date and location of the big event shouldn't be a surprise to Tesla-watchers. At the beginning of September, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the electric car company planned to deliver the first production Model X cars to its first customers on that date.
September 29 is just one day before the end of the third quarter, which is Tesla's self-imposed deadline to get the first Model X cars to customers. The Model X has been delayed for months and Tesla first showed off the car over three years ago. The company plans to ramp up production of the Model X in the fourth quarter of this year.
Tesla plans to deliver between 50,000 and 55,000 cars—both the Model X and the Model S— in 2015. Getting enough Model X cars made will be an important part of hitting those car shipment numbers.
It appears that Tesla is slowly starting to make its first Model X cars. In early September Tesla started letting Model X customers that have "signature reservations"—that is, the very first reservations for the Model X—pick the details of their cars, like paint colors and wheel size. It's unclear when other Model X customers will start getting their cars.
Tesla held a similar event to deliver its first Model S cars to those first customers in 2012 at the Fremont, Calif. factory.
