The Tesla Model X crossover is due in late 2014 as a Tesla brand extension. Sales have stalled in the U.S.
Interesting little dust-up – as in lies, damn lies and statistics – caused by one of the auto industry’s most respected sources of data and the self-promoting Elon Musk of Tesla. The battle of the numbers began when Wards Auto pointed out that Tesla’s 2014 U.S. sales were down 26% through September compared to the year earlier period.
Musk, whose company does not report sales by region any more, and only reports sales quarterly in required SEC filings, countered by tweeting September sales were up 65%.
Ah, the joys of statistics.
Musk was only using the month of September, not year-to-date, so he is technically right. He is also not mentioning that the Tesla factory was down during August so the September number is somewhat exaggerated. AutoData has U.S. Tesla ytd sales at 13,850 off -3.2% compared to 2013.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
