Why it matters: Tesla has never had an easy time staying afloat, but despite numerous roadblocks, employee management controversies, and increased competition, the company still managed to come out ahead this past year. After getting its production woes under control, Tesla was able to successfully meet its vehicle delivery goals for the year of 2019.
According to a Q4 2019 financial report published by the electric carmaker today, it delivered a whopping 367,500 vehicles throughout the year. That number falls in line with previous predictions, and it's also about 50 percent higher than it was in 2018.
That's quite the leap forward, and Tesla says its numbers could even be on the conservative side. It only counts a car as "delivered" if "all paperwork" is correct, and the vehicle has actually reached a customer (merely shipping the car isn't enough).
For reference, Tesla delivered 245,240 vehicles in 2018, so the math adds up (give or take a few dozen deliveries).
A sizable chunk of Tesla's 2019 deliveries – 112,000, to be exact – occurred in Q4 2019, which is to be expected. The holiday season is one where people receive gifts – even expensive gifts like a brand new Tesla – as well as Christmas bonuses from employers, which can help with down payments on car loans.
Theoretically, these production numbers should only increase over the coming years. Tesla has already begun producing vehicles in its brand-new Shanghai-based Gigafactory, and another Gigafactory is expected to break ground sometime in 2021.