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Tesla中国乱象揭蛊2014年4月，在具有传奇色彩的电动车制造商Tesla的 CEO埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）访华前夕，一场由23名来自中国大陆非京沪地区的Tesla“准车主”掀起了一场因对交车顺序不满的集体“维权”行动，且愈演愈烈。
这些Tesla在华的预订用户称：Tesla或没有按照应有的“既定顺序”交车，一些较晚订车的北京和上海用户已经被通知可以提车，而其它地区较早下订单的用户仍在等待。
据腾讯科技的报道，23名用户委托律师起草的律师函已发送给拓速乐汽车销售（北京）有限公司（Tesla在中国的销售实体）和Tesla 首席财务官Deepak Ahuja。
律师函中指称：Tesla在客户不知情情况下，违背承诺擅自单方面改变交车顺序，未履行交车义务，构成“虚假承诺”，涉嫌对消费者欺诈。
Tesla全球副总裁、中国区负责人吴碧瑄（Veronica Wu）在对“维权”车主的电话和邮件回应称：北京和上海外的一些地区因为售后服务中心和充电网点没有建成，不能提前交车，因为售后和配套设施缺乏会影响用户体验。
“在中国，特斯拉坚持在交车前确保每一位客户都有适宜的充电设施，并能享受到我们及时的服务”，吴碧瑄在对“维权”车主的邮件回复中如是说。
这并非不合理的托辞。
但未经事先沟通清楚交车条件而在京沪之外地区产生的大量订单，以及Tesla在北京之外地区迟迟未能设立的充电设施及服务中心等配套网络，已经暴露了Tesla过去一年在中国的诸多问题：2013年底Tesla在中国的订单也超过了5000单，北京的体验店和服务中心早在2013年中落成并开放。
但时隔一年，Tesla迟迟未能在上海建立计划中的中国第二家体验店和售后服务中心。
粉丝和拥趸的高心理预期及因此产生前期大量的订单，与日后因“服务网络”不完善和拓展迟缓而无法生产交车的情形之间的对撞与反差，并非偶发的孤立现象。
事实上，它与这一年以来，Tesla美国总部对中国战略的调整，乃至外界热衷讨论的Tesla首任中国区总经理郑顺景离职、Tesla全球副总裁吴碧瑄主导中国业务，乃至背后从美国总部波及到中国的利益冲突与人事斗争，都有着至关重要的联系。
特斯拉汽车完全解析来源：特斯拉行业资料库2014/3/7TeslaMotors，特斯拉汽车，一个2003年创立于美国硅谷，至今不过10年的纯电动车企业。
在传统巨头纷纷倒下的最艰难日子里，这个出奇制胜、名不见经传的小弟不仅挺了过来，而且发展得如日中天。
目前特斯拉股价已经突破100美元大关，甚至直逼丰田汽车，成为美国股市里，仅有的两家股价突破100美元的汽车企业，甩开通用、福特将近3倍，超过戴姆勒也将近1倍，总市值甚至一度超越拥有法拉利汽车的菲亚特集团。
特斯拉究竟凭什么在巨头林立的汽车工业里立足呢？特斯拉·起源和来自美国东部汽车城底特律的传统巨头不同，特斯拉从一开始就将选址定在了美国西部的科技圣地硅谷，将自己定位为高科技公司而非传统意义的汽车企业。
这种差异，恐怕也是造就特斯拉这个企业最为不同的一点。
说起特斯拉就不能不提其联合创始人兼CEO——Elon Musk。
关于Musk，有个广为流传的说法，称电影版《钢铁侠》导演就是以他为灵感，塑造了大家熟知的银幕版高富帅英雄史塔克。
这个有史以来最年轻的亿万富翁，一直胸怀三个梦想，第一：改变互联网的使用方式，于是他和别人联合创立了网站。
当然这个网站未来会有个更响亮的名字叫PayPal，也就是支付宝的先祖。
他随后将PayPal卖给eBay，也就是淘宝网的先祖。
卖了15亿美元后，他转头去实现第二个愿景：将视线投入遥远的太空。
他创立Space X 私人航天器发射公司，连美国国家航空航天局NASA都找到Space X，依靠他们发射卫星，并为国际空间站运输补给。
Space X也因此被美国媒体称为除了美俄中外，第四个掌握卫星发射和回收技术的“国家”。
当然，他的最终愿景，还是能源产业。
与一般大佬不同，这个做科技出身的富翁，看上的自然不是来钱快的石油1天然气，而是带有理想性质的清洁能源。
2003年，这位大佬与人合伙，靠此前攒下来的资本，创立了自己的纯电动汽车公司——Tesla特斯拉。
TESLA硅谷工程师、资深车迷、创业家马丁·艾伯哈德（Martin Eberhard）在寻找创业项目时发现，美国很多停放丰田混合动力汽车普锐斯的私家车道上经常还会出现些超级跑车的身影。
他认为，这些人不是为了省油才买普锐斯，普锐斯只是这群人表达对环境问题的方式。
于是，他有了将跑车和新能源结合的想法，而客户群就是这群有环保意识的高收入人士和社会名流。
2003年7月1日，马丁·艾伯哈德与长期商业伙伴马克·塔彭宁（Marc Tarpenning）合伙成立特斯拉（TESLA）汽车公司，并将总部设在美国加州的硅谷地区。
成立后，特斯拉开始寻找高效电动跑车所需投资和材料。
由于马丁·艾伯哈德毫无这方面的制造经验，最终找到AC Propulsion公司。
当时，对AC Propulsion公司电动汽车技术产生兴趣的还有艾龙·穆思科（Elon Musk）。
在AC Propulsion公司CEO汤姆·盖奇（Tom Gage）的引见下，穆思科认识了艾伯哈德的团队。
2004年2月会面之后，穆思科向TESLA投资630万美元，但条件是出任公司董事长、拥有所有事务的最终决定权，而艾伯哈德作为创始人任TESLA的CEO。
在有了技术方案、启动资金后，TESLA开始开发高端电动汽车，他们选择英国莲花汽车的Elise作为开发的基础。
没有别的原因，只是因为莲花是唯一一家把TESLA放在眼里的跑车生产商。
艾伯哈德和穆思科的共同点是对技术的热情。
但是，作为投资人，穆思科拥有绝对的话语权，随着项目的不断推进，TESLA开始尝到“重技术研发轻生产规划、重性能提升轻成本控制”的苦果。
2007年6月，离预定投产日期8月27日仅剩下两个月时，TESLA还没有向零部件供应商提供Roadster的技术规格，核心的部件变速箱更是没能研制出来。
另一方面，TESLA在两个月前的融资中向投资人宣称制造Roadster的成本为6.5万美元，而此时成本分析报告明确指出Roadster最初50辆的平均成本将超过10万美元。
简介特斯拉（Tesla）——美国的著名纯电动车制造商，这家厂商曾采用路特斯Elise的底盘制造出Tesla Roadster，并且一经问世就成为全球首款量产版电动敞篷跑车。
2012年6月22日正式发布旗下第一台商务纯电动车Tesla Model S。
2012年2月9日，发布了全尺寸纯电动SUV 车型Model X，其后门采用设计前卫的鹰翼门造型，这款全尺寸纯电动SUV将会在2014年量产。
埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）——出生于南非，18岁时移民美国，毕业于宾夕法尼亚大学。
他集工程师，企业家和慈善家各种身份于一身。
担任美国最大的私人太阳能供应商Solar City 的董事长；参与创立和投资Paypal，全球最大的在线支付平台；2002年创立空间探索技术公司SpaceX,，参与设计能把飞行器送上空间站的新型火箭，价格全世界最低，研发时间全世界最短；投资创立特斯拉环保跑车公司（Tesla），生产出世界上第一辆能在3秒内从0加速到60英里的纯电动跑车，并成功量产。
汉哲森——（Franz von Holzhausen）毕业于艺术中心设计学院（Art Center College of Design），是一位年轻的美国本土设计师，曾经在大众汽车公司担任过助理设计师，汉哲森设计的马自达Kabura概念车在2006年北美国际车展亮相，并将其生产。
之后在通用汽车公司担任设计总监，并成功设计了庞蒂亚克(Pontiac Solstice)和土星（Saturn Sky）。
目前，汉哲森是特斯拉的首席设计师，他在2008年设计了Tesla Model S，全球第一辆纯电动豪华轿车问世。
Tesla Model S 的神奇世界1883年戴姆勒成功研制出使用汽油的发动机，从此汽车进入了汽油时代。
一个多世纪以来，汽车不断地更新换代，从造型、外观、内饰、功能和性能等方面，都取得了巨大的进步。
然而，大多数汽车生产商和设计师们所忽略的却又是最重要的则是汽车动力能源的改进。
特斯拉品牌介绍特斯拉(Tesla)是美国的一家电动汽车和能源储存公司，总部位于加利福尼亚州帕洛阿尔托。
该公司成立于2003年，由亿万富翁埃隆·马斯克创立并担任CEO，旨在生产可持续能源解决方案和融合可再生能源的电动车。
自成立以来，特斯拉已成为全球领先的电动车制造商之一，并向全球市场销售其汽车和能源存储解决方案。
1.公司历程特斯拉汽车公司成立于2003年，初期主要通过生产电动跑车Tesla Roadster赢得市场，并于2012年发布了首款豪华电动轿车特斯拉Model S。
S型车的推出使得特斯拉成功进入主流市场，并在2015年推出了世界首款全电动SUV Model X，进一步扩大了公司的汽车产品线。
此后，特斯拉又推出了全电动卡车Tesla Semi和全电动皮卡Cybertruck等新型车型，进一步拓展了车型范围。
同时，特斯拉也在能源储存领域有所发展。
在其早期的商业计划中，特斯拉便将光伏板和能源存储解决方案与电动汽车相结合。
特斯拉能源公司于2015年成立，主要致力于为家庭和商业客户提供可再生能源解决方案，包括能源存储系统Powerwall和商业级别的能源储存系统Powerpack。
2.产品介绍特斯拉的汽车产品线主要包括Model S、Model X、Model 3、Model Y等。
其中，Model S和Model X是旗舰产品，侧重豪华感和技术创新；而Model 3和Model Y则致力于推动电动汽车进入主流市场，价格更加亲民。
此外，特斯拉也于2021年发布了全球首款超级跑车Roadster，定价高达20万美元。
特斯拉汽车采用纯电动动力系统，其中的Lithium-ion电池组是电动汽车的关键。
这种电池具有高能量密度，是特斯拉电动汽车可行的基础。
同时，特斯拉汽车采用电动机的方式代替了燃油发动机，从而减少了机械传动系统的复杂性。
这些设计使得特斯拉汽车的续航里程比同类型的汽油车更长。
例如，Model S的电池能量密度高达100千瓦时，续航里程超过600公里。
特斯拉创始人伊隆马斯克从南非移民到电动汽车领域的创业之路伊隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）是一位享有盛誉的企业家和工程师，他被誉为现代科技行业的创业者之一。
作为特斯拉电动汽车公司的创始人，伊隆·马斯克在电动汽车领域的创业之路上取得了巨大的成功。
本文将详细探讨伊隆·马斯克从南非移民到电动汽车领域的创业之路，揭示他所面临的挑战、突破和成功。
一、童年与教育背景伊隆·马斯克于1971年6月28日出生在南非首都普利托里亚。
他的父亲是一位工程师，母亲是一位营养师。
在他的成长过程中，伊隆·马斯克展现出了过人的智慧和对科技的浓厚兴趣。
他早年就读于南非的一所公立学校，并在青少年时期显示出了他的天赋和创业精神。
二、初出茅庐的创业之路伊隆·马斯克在20世纪90年代初期，辍学去创建了自己的第一家公司——网络软件提供商Zip2。
该公司提供了一个在线城市指南，为报纸和出版商提供内容。
这使得伊隆·马斯克开始在商业界崭露头角，并开始积累实践经验。
三、从PayPal到特斯拉然而，真正将伊隆·马斯克推向全球知名度的项目是他于2000年共同创建的在线支付服务公司PayPal。
PayPal的成功不仅在于它在电子商务行业的颠覆性创新，而且还在于它为伊隆·马斯克积攒了足够的财富和人脉关系。
随着PayPal的成功，马斯克开始认识到传统汽车行业的问题，并决定将他的精力投入到推动电动汽车的发展。
他创立了特斯拉电动汽车公司，并成为其首席执行官。
特斯拉的目标是推动清洁能源的使用，减少对化石燃料的依赖，并为消费者提供高性能的电动汽车。
四、面临的挑战与突破特斯拉是一家革命性的公司，但在推动电动汽车行业的过程中，伊隆·马斯克面临着巨大的挑战。
首先，电动汽车的高成本和有限的充电基础设施限制了消费者对电动汽车的接受程度。
为了解决这个问题，伊隆·马斯克决定将特斯拉的技术和理念开放给其他汽车制造商，并推动整个行业的发展。
尼古拉·特斯拉（塞爾維亞語：Никола Тесла；1856年7月10日－1943年1月7日），塞尔维亚裔美籍發明家、物理學家、機械工程師、電機工程師和未来学家。
他被认为是电力商业化的重要推动者，并因主要设计了现代交流电力系统而最为人知。
在迈克尔·法拉第发现的电磁场理论的基础上，特斯拉在电磁场领域有着多项革命性的发明。
他的多项相关的专利以及电磁学的理论研究工作是现代的无线通信和无线电的基石。
在赢得著名的19世纪80年代的―电流之战‖及在1894年成功进行短波无线通信试验之后，特斯拉被认为是当时美国最伟大的电机工程师之一。
他的许多发现被认为是具有开创性的，是电机工程学的先驱。
在美国电机工程史上，即便到了现在，特斯拉的名声依然能媲美其他最为成功最伟大对人类贡献最大的的发明家、科学家。
1891年，特斯拉在成功试验了把电力以无线能量传输的形式送到了目标用电器之后，致力于商业化的洲际电力无线输送, 并且以此设想建造了半成品——沃登克里弗塔。
20世纪30年代，接近生命的尾声阶段，特斯拉变得深居简出，独居于纽约市的一个旅馆里，偶尔才会向新闻界发表一些不同寻常的声明。
因举止怪异，特斯拉被普遍认为是―疯狂科学家‖的原型。
1943年1月7日，特斯拉在穷困潦倒中去世。
去世之后，特斯拉的成就并不太为当时的人所知，但是在20世纪90年代，他的公众名望出人意料地上演了王者归来。
在2005年，他被电视节目―最伟大的美国人‖（美国在线和探索频道共同开展）列为前100名，这张名单是由公众投票产生。
在現代社会中处处可見特斯拉的遺產。
撇開他在電磁學和工程上的成就，特斯拉也被認為對機器人、彈道學、資訊科學、核子物理學和理論物理學上等各種領域有貢獻。
[1][2]。
許多他的成就已伴隨著一些爭議被應用，去支持著許多的非主流科學，如幽浮理論和新世紀神秘理論。
特斯拉當代的欽佩者視他為「創造出二十世紀的人」[3]。
国际单位制中的，用来衡量磁场强度（通常也作磁通量、磁感）的单位B，是以特斯拉的名字命名，符号T（由国际度量衡大会在1960年确立）。
特斯拉创始人埃隆•马斯克传奇作者：刘明豫来源：《名人传记·财富人物》2014年第05期埃隆·马斯克的传奇，不仅在于他先后成功创立了包括特斯拉在内的几家大名鼎鼎的公司，更重要的是这几家公司先后革新了三个领域：金融、新能源、航天。
全球首家纯电动汽车生产商Tesla2013年表现优异，2014第一季度的销量在美国电动汽车行业仍居榜首，其用户的满意度也破纪录地达到99%，使其创始人兼CEO兼产品架构师的埃隆·马斯克再度成为媒体的焦点。
埃隆·马斯克的传奇不仅在于他先后成功创立和运营了几家大名鼎鼎的公司，Paypal、SpaceX、Tesla，更重要的是，这几家公司革新了三个领域：金融、新能源、航天。
不安分的创业者埃隆·马斯克于1971年出生在南非一个普通人家，父亲是工程师，母亲是模特。
埃隆·马斯克从小酷爱读书，在10岁的时候拥有了自己的第一台计算机，然后开始自学编程，12岁的时候把自己做的一个太空小游戏软件卖掉了。
埃隆·马斯克从小便很独立，怀揣着一个“美国梦”，努力地寻找机会逃离南非。
因为母亲是加拿大籍，他在高中毕业后带着一点钱独自去加拿大闯荡，四处打工，进入皇后大学读书，最后如愿以偿地转学到美国的宾夕法尼亚大学。
在拿到宾大的经济和工程学双学士学位后，埃隆·马斯克获得奖学金前往斯坦福读博士，学习材料科学和应用物理。
1995年正值美国互联网浪潮蓬勃的开始，雅虎（Yahoo）和网景（Netscape）公司均于前一年创立。
就在此时，埃隆·马斯克看到了传统媒体进入互联网时代的机会，于是在进入斯坦福学习的第二天，便决意退学创业。
他召唤来他的弟弟，投入了几乎仅够房租的2000美金。
没有朋友帮忙，兄弟俩夜以继日地开发了6个月的程序。
Musk创立的“Zip2”网站是美国第一家在线城市列表网站。
4年后，这家公司以3.07亿美金的现金加上3400万美金的股票期权被康柏电脑公司（Compaq）收购。
Tesla Motors, Inc. – Fourth Quarter & Full Year 2013 Shareholder Letter•Record 6,892 Model S vehicles sold and delivered in Q4•World’s highest Consumer Reports customer satisfaction score of 99/100•Q4 auto gross margin of 25% with no zero emission vehicle (ZEV) credit revenue•Supercharger network built across most of USA and Northwest Europe•Net income of $46M and $0.33 EPS (non-GAAP), loss of $16M and $(0.13) EPS(GAAP) in Q4•Positive free cash flow of $40M in Q4•Expecting over 55% vehicle delivery growth in 2014 and 28% auto GM by Q4 February 19, 2014Dear Fellow Shareholders:Last quarter, we had record deliveries of 6,892 vehicles and exceeded our target automotive gross margin of 25%, achieving 25.2% on a non-GAAP basis and 25.8% on a GAAP basis. This capped a year in which wedelivered 22,477 vehicles, resulting in almost $2.5 billion in sales on a non-GAAP basis and over $2 billion in sales on a GAAP basis. It is important to note that the differences between GAAP and non-GAAP are primarily due to lease accounting for our resale value guarantee (RVG) and employee stock based compensation as a result of the increase in our stock price last year. With 20 months since delivery of the first vehicles to customers, Model S continues to track to an outstanding residual value, with very few cars available for resale. If current trends continue, the average price of a used Model S should be meaningfully above our resale value guarantee.For the year, Model S was the top selling vehicle in North America among comparably priced cars. Nonetheless, we believe there is room to improve in 2014 as we complete the Supercharger network and enable vehicleservice almost anywhere in North America. The potential in Europe and Asia is even more significant. Towards the end of the year, we expect sales in those regions combined to be almost twice that of North America.As volume increases, additional economies of scale will come into play, resulting in further improvements in gross margin. We think an automotive gross margin of 28%, excluding potential ZEV credit sales, is a reasonable target for Q4 2014, even if a lower option take rate is assumed. Please note that Tesla is not trying to achieve theabsolute highest possible gross margin, as this would require following the industry practice of charging excessive prices to customers in certain markets, which we believe is inconsistent with building long term loyalty.Enhancing the Customer ExperienceModel S customers are proving that owning a well-engineered electric vehicle can be a superior ownershipexperience over a gasoline-powered car. Our rapidlygrowing customer base has driven Model S almost 200million cumulative miles, and we believe that more than 80%of our customers are using their Model S as their primaryvehicle.Our goal is to deliver the highest possible level of ownershipsatisfaction in every way. For example, in Q4 we rapidlyexpanded our service locations and reduced repairturnaround time. One measure of customer satisfaction is asurvey completed after each service in which almost 90% ofTesla Coast-to-Coast Supercharger Rally customers rate our service at 9 or better on a 10 pointscale, where 10 is best and 1 is worst. We also recently made several enhancements to the Model S through software updates and added small, but important, features such as power folding mirrors and parking sensors.Our efforts were validated in November by Consumer Reports’ owner satisfaction survey, which gave Model S a score of 99 out of 100, the highest satisfaction score of any car in the world. The next highest score was 95.To further enhance the driver experience, new Model S customers will now receive free data connectivity and Internet radio for four years. As an added benefit to our existing Model S customers, the free four year period starts on January 1, 2014. To be fair to all, in rare cases a customer may be charged for extreme data use.The ability of our customers to charge for free with our Supercharger network is another core element of the Tesla experience. It is now possible for Model S owners to make convenient long distance trips along the west or east coasts and from Los Angeles to New York without ever taking out their wallets. In late January, one of our customers made the first Supercharged Model S trip from New York to Los Angeles in the dead of winter,encountering temperatures as low as -22o F. He and his daughter completed the trip in just six days. Shortly thereafter, a Tesla team completed the coast-to-coast trip using only the Supercharger network in just over 76 hours, despite encountering blizzards, road closures and a sand storm on various parts of the journey.Expanding Tesla GloballyThe first Model S deliveries to China are scheduled for this spring. We plan to make substantial investments in China this year as we add new stores, service centers and a Supercharger network. Already, the Beijing store is our largest and most active retail location in the world.We strive for transparent and fair pricing in every Array market. Consistent with this goal, the price for a ModelS in China is the same as the price for a Model S in theUS, adding only unavoidable taxes, customs dutiesand transportation costs. We are taking a risk with thisstrategy, because it is counter to prevailing autoindustry practices. Still, we believe it is the right thingto do. It also means that in China the Model S is pricedcomparable to a mid-sized premium vehicle, instead ofa large luxury vehicle.In Germany and other European markets, we recentlyannounced new, highly competitive leasing andfinancing options in collaboration with our growingteam of global financial partners.A Model S Test Drive in ChinaExpansion into the right hand drive markets such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia will occur gradually over the year starting this spring.Quarterly ResultsAs usual, this letter includes both GAAP and non-GAAP financial information, because we consider non-GAAP information in our planning and management processes. Non-GAAP financials exclude stock-basedcompensation and non-cash interest expense, and add back the deferred revenue and related costs for cars sold with an RVG. Obtaining financing via our bank partners and getting an RVG from us continues to remain popularwith our U.S. customers, as we delivered 1,667 cars with an RVG in Q4.For the quarter, non-GAAP revenue was $761 million, up 26% from Q3. GAAP revenue for Q4 was $615 million, up 43% from Q3. We produced more cars than originally expected in the quarter, aided by manufacturing, designand quality improvements, but also strong efforts from our supply chain. Both Toyota and Daimler powertrain programs remain on plan and contributed $13 million of revenue in the quarter. Q4 sales also included $15million of regulatory credits revenue, but no zero emission vehicle (ZEV) credit sales.During Q4, we achieved non-GAAP automotive gross margin of 25.2% and 25.8% on a GAAP basis. We did this by reducing vehicle cost, primarily through component cost reductions as well as increased manufacturing and supply chain efficiency. Average pricing also remained strong due to a richer mix of 85 kWh cars and a highoption take rate.Research and development (R&D) expenses were $58 million non-GAAP and $68 million on a GAAP basis. Non-GAAP R&D was up 21% from Q3, as engineering work accelerated on Model X and efforts continued for theadaptation of Model S in international markets.Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $87 million non-GAAP and $101 million on a GAAP basis. Much of the 30% sequential increase in non-GAAP SG&A was driven by the expansion of our customer infrastructure.Q4 non-GAAP net income was $46 million, or $0.33 pershare, while Q4 GAAP net loss was $16 million or $(0.13)per share. Both results include a $4.6 million net gain, or$0.03 per share from a favorable foreign currency impact.Cash on hand increased to $846 million as of December31, 2013, as we generated $130 million of operating cashflow and $40 million of positive free cash flow (cash flowfrom operations less capital expenditures) in the quarter.2014 Outlook We expect to deliver over 35,000 Model S vehicles in 2014, representing a 55+% increase over 2013. Production is expected to increase from 600 cars/week presently to about 1,000 cars/week by end of the year as we expand our factory capacity and address supplier bottlenecks. Battery cell supply will continue to constrain our production in the first half of the year, but will improve significantly in the second half of 2014.First quarter production is expected to be about 7,400 vehicles, which is significantly higher than the prior quarter production of 6,587 cars. However, as the number of cars in transit to Europe and Asia must grow substantially to support those markets, we plan to deliver approximately 6,400 vehicles in Q1. Deliveries will grow dramatically in future quarters as the logistics pipeline fills.This year, we expect automotive gross margin to increase to about 28% (non-GAAP and GAAP) in Q4 through a series of small design improvements, better supplier prices and economies of scale. Q1 gross margin should increase very slightly from Q4. For the remainder of the year, gross margin should improve at a faster pace.Operating expenses and capital expenditures will increase significantly in 2014, as we plan to invest in the long term growth of Tesla. We plan to expand production capacity for Model S and Model X, invest in our store, service and Supercharger infrastructure, complete the development of Model X and start early design work on our third generation car.In Q1, operating expenses are expected to grow roughly 15%. R&D expenses will increase as design and engineering work accelerates on Model X. We expect to have production design Model X prototypes on the road by end of year and begin volume deliveries to customers in the spring of 2015. SG&A spending will grow as we expand globally our retail presence and add more Superchargers.Model S Conquers the ColdVery shortly, we will be ready to share more information about the Tesla Gigafactory. This will allow us to achieve a major reduction in the cost of our battery packs and accelerate the pace of battery innovation. Working in partnership with our suppliers, we plan to integrate precursor material, cell, module and pack production into one facility. With this facility, we feel highly confident of being able to create a compelling and affordable electric car in approximately three years. This will also allow us to address the solar power industry’s need for a massive volume of stationary battery packs.Looking forward to a very exciting 2014!Elon Musk, Chairman & CEO Deepak Ahuja, Chief Financial OfficerWebcast InformationTesla will provide a live webcast of its fourth quarter and full year 2013 financial results conference call beginning at 2:30 p.m. PT on February 19, 2014, at . This webcast will also be available for replay for approximately one year thereafter.Non-GAAP Financial InformationConsolidated financial information has been presented in accordance with GAAP as well as on a non-GAAP basis. On a non-GAAP basis, financial measures exclude non-cash items such as stock-based compensation, the change in fair value related to Tesla’s warrant liability, non-cash interest expense related to Tesla's 1.5% convertible senior notes as well as one-time expenses associated with the early repayment of the Department of Energy Loan. Non-GAAP financial measures also exclude the impact of lease accounting on Model S related revenues and cost of revenues, as this perspective is useful in understanding the underlying cash flow activity and timing of vehicle deliveries. Management believes that it is useful to supplement its GAAP financial statements with this non-GAAP information because management uses such information internally for its operating, budgeting and financial planning purposes. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management’s internal comparisons to Tesla’s historical performance as well as comparisons to the operating results of other companies. Non-GAAP information is not prepared under a comprehensive set of accounting rules and therefore, should only be read in conjunction with financial information reported under U.S. GAAP when understanding Tesla's operating performance. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP financial information is provided below.Forward-Looking StatementsCertain statements in this shareholder letter, including statements in the “2014 Outlook” section of this Shareholder Letter; statements regarding profitability and free cash and cost reduction efforts; statements relating to the progress Tesla is making with respect to product development (including Model X and our third generation car), China and right hand drive market launch expectations, schedule for the introduction of future options and variants, quality improvements, delivery and volume expectations of Model S; the ability to achieve vehicle demand, volume, production, revenue, gross margin, spending, profitability and cash flow targets; future store, service center and Tesla Supercharger expected costs, openings and expansion plans and Tesla Gigafactory plans and expectations are “forward-looking statements” that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, and as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those projected. The following important factors, without limitation, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: Tesla’s future success depends on its ability to design and achieve market acceptance of Model S and other new vehicle models, specifically Model X; the risk of delays in the manufacture, production and delivery ramp of Model S vehicles; the ability of suppliers to meet quality and part delivery expectations at increasing volumes; Tesla’s ability to continue to reduce or control manufacutring and other costs; consumers’ willingness to adopt electric vehicles; competition in the automotive market generally and the alternative fuel vehicle market in particular; Tesla’s ability to establish, maintain and strengthen the Tesla brand; Tesla’s ability to manage future growth effectively as we rapidly grow, especially internationally; the unavailability, reduction or elimination of governmental and economic incentives for electric vehicles; Tesla’s ability to establish, maintain and strengthen its relationships with strategic partners such as Daimler, Toyota and Panasonic; and Tesla’s ability to execute on its retail strategy and for new store, service center and Tesla Supercharger openings. More information on potential factors that could affect the Company’s financial results is included from time to time in Tesla’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including the risks identified under the section captioned “Risk Factors” in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 8, 2013. Tesla disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.Investor Relations Contact: Press Contact:Jeff Evanson Liz Jarvis-SheanVP Investor Relations – Tesla Motors Communications – Tesla Motorsir@ ejs@。
