In a conference call with reporters, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company is now building 600 cars a week and its factory in Fremont, Calif. To reach its goal of 35,000, Tesla will increase production to 1,000 cars a week, Musk said.
During the call, Musk reflected on a year that saw the company embroiled in, then recovering from reports that its batteries were catching fire.
"At first we saw a significant drop in demand, and we were quite worried about it," he said, adding, "I think it's great that we live in an era where there's the Internet and social media, so that when the flames are fanned by the media, there's at least a path for consumers to understand what is really going on."
Musk said in addition to expanding production for the Model, the company will complete the development of the Model X -- it's SUV-style vehicle -- and will also be investing in its store and supercharger infrastructure.
Deliveries of the Model X are expected to begin during the second quarter of 2015.
Musk also revealed that Tesla will have multiple partners in its development of a battery "gigafactory," which will be powered by renewable energy.
Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Musk met with Adrian Perica, Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions in early 2013, fueling speculation that Apple will be a partner in the battery plant. Musk declined to comment.
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