“Friends ask, ‘When should I buy a Tesla?'” Said Musk. “Well, buy it early or when production reaches steady state. During this production ramp, it is very difficult to be in vertical climb mode and get the details right.”
Munro also questioned Musk about quality control issues more recently. He bought a Model 3 2021 last year and compared it to a Model 3 that someone else bought a month later – and saw a significant improvement.
“At the end of the day, this guy’s car was fabulous … as good as anyone could do,” said Munro. “I just don’t understand. Mine was built this month, his was built a month later. Mine had problems. His was perfect.”
Musk said Tesla continued to make progress even in December last year, noting that the company is encountering problems more quickly as the pace of production continues to accelerate.
“When you go faster, you just discover these things,” he said. “If we knew them in advance, we would fix them in advance.”
Musk also discussed some other challenges the company has already faced. After Munro praised the Model 3 seats as the most comfortable he has ever experienced in a car, Musk said he used to refer to the initial Model S seat, one of the company’s first vehicles, as a “stone mushroom. “
“The first Model S probably had the worst seat of all the cars I have ever sat on,” said Musk.