Musk Gives CBS a Tour of Tesla Model 3 Production Line

"I'm under stress," says Elon Musk, but promises 5,000 cars a week by Q3.

When Elon Musk revealed the Tesla Model 3, our very own famously car-skeptic Lloyd Alter declared "the whole world will want this car." Indeed, pre-orders were astronomical, so much so that Tesla's failure to meet its target of 5,000 cars a week by now means that many owners will be waiting a good long while to get a car they ordered back in 2016.

But Musk is, apparently, very convinced that Tesla is turning a corner -- so much so that he allowed CBS This Morning an extensive tour of the production line, including a reveal of the famous couch/sleeping bag setup that he's been sleeping on in the factory.

Among the nuggets revealed are that Elon agrees with critics who said the production line was over-automated. In fact, he says, they had to rip out a whole section of conveyor belts and robots and start over with a lower tech method. He also suggests that they were too ambitious with cramming that much tech in the Model 3 at once. (Remember those falcon wing doors on the Model X?) And—perhaps more importantly for folks waiting for their car—he says that anyone who pre-ordered the Model 3 should get their vehicle within the next 3 to 6 months.

In other Tesla news, Elon also responded to The Economist this morning by claiming that Tesla will be cash positive and profitable in Q3 and 4 of this year.

Of course, Elon has made (and missed) bold predictions several times before. But he still appears optimistic. Here's the full interview with CBS This Morning below: