Due to a persistent global shortage of semiconductors, automakers large and small are struggling to keep production up with demand. It’s only September, and Tesla, the world’s largest electric vehicle maker, is almost selling out for the year.
On the company’s website, model vehicle models have a wait time of three months or longer. The estimated delivery date for Model 3 is December. Those who want a Model Y SUV have to wait till February next year. The higher-end Model S and Model X have an even longer wait time till March or April 2022.
The upper-end “performance” version of Model 3 is estimated to arrive in November. So is the “performance” version of Model Y.
In July, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told investors during the company’s second-quarter earnings call that “chip supply is fundamentally the governing factor on our output. It is difficult for us to see how long this will last because this is out of our control essentially.”
“For the rest of this year, our growth rates will be determined by the slowest part in our supply chain,” he said.
Tesla did not respond to press inquiries about the long delivery estimates.
Meanwhile, second-hand Teslas are harder to find than ever. And even if you are lucky, you will likely have to pay a premium.
On the used car shopping site Carvana, a 2021 standard range Tesla Model 3 with 5,300 miles on it is asking for $58,590. A brand new Model 3 with the same setup costs $39,990 on Tesla website. A 2021 long range Model Y with 6,000 miles on it is listed for $57,590. A brand new equivalent costs just $53,990.
A June study of nearly half a million new and used cars from the 2019 and 2020 model years conducted by the automotive research site iSeeCars.com showed that a lightly used Model 3 (the only Tesla model analyzed in the study), cost 3 percent more than the brand new version on Tesla website.
“Like other carmakers, Tesla has faced production issues in 2021, and delayed delivery times have been common among Tesla models,” iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer told Observer. “We have seen that the scarcity of new models boosted demand in the used car marketplace, which should only intensify throughout 2021.”
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