Tesla's 2017 has been one of lofty highs and incredible lows, with most of both elements linked directly to the production of their upcoming Model 3.
And perhaps a small light at the tunnel for those egging on the American marque, with reports coming out this morning of the company shifting reservation holders forwards on their orders.
This has come in the form of requests from Tesla to selected non-employee Model 3 reservation holders to begin configuring and designing their pre-ordered Model 3s. According to Bloomberg, a Tesla spokesperson confirmed the matter.
It might not be the most riveting, concrete proof that things are on the up at club Tesla. But, it's definitely a start, and the company should be willing to accept the nuggets of goodness after a sour 2017 — underlined by their failure to meet their third-quarter production target of 1,500 units (they only managed 260).
Numbers made to look particularly problematic when it had been hoped back at the Model 3's launch in July that they would be churning out 20,000 of them a month by the end of 2017.
The manufacturer dropped jaws just last week, when they revealed their new 400km/h Roadster concept, and their heavy-hauling Semi truck. But it's tough to imagine those vehicles not having their scheduled 2020 launches getting impeded by production problems if they're not remedied sooner rather than later.
New Zealand's first deliveries of the Model 3 are expected at the beginning of 2019.