Tesla hits 2015 target

Tesla Model S – the first car to prove to the automotive world that internal combustion engines will soon be a thing of the past.

Tesla Motors Inc. delivered 17,400 vehicles in the fourth quarter, hitting its target of at least 50,000 vehicles for the year.

The maker of electric cars and energy storage devices reached a total of 50,580 deliveries in 2015, Tesla said in a statement Sunday.

The fourth-quarter results were the low end of its target of 17,000 to 19,000 vehicles, after selling 33,180 through September. Tesla is producing two all-electric vehicles, the Model S sedan and the Model X crossover, on a shared assembly line at its factory in Fremont, Calif.

The company turned over the first six Model X crossovers to owners at a high profile launch event Sept. 29, and the pace of deliveries accelerated over the holidays. Tesla said 208 Model X vehicles have been delivered so far.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who received the first Model X, has been candid about the challenges of engineering and manufacturing the crossover, with its complex and distinct features such as the "falcon-wing" doors, independently operable second-row seats and large, panoramic windshield. Bloomberg/Autonews