- Panasonic assembles batteries at Tesla's Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada.
- Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga said Tuesday that there have been delays to automating the battery production line at the Gigafactory, slowing Model 3 output.
- Tesla only produced 260 Model 3 sedans in the third quarter; it had targeted 1,500 vehicles for September alone.
Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga gave everyone a better understanding of why Tesla missed its target for Model 3 production in the third quarter.
Tsuga said during an earnings briefing that there have been delays to automating the battery production line at Tesla's Gigafactory, which has slowed Model 3 output, Reuters' first reported. Some of the battery packs have had to be assembled by hand, according to the report.
Panasonic is a partner of Tesla, helping assemble batteries at the electric automaker's Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada.
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"This process [for battery packs] will be soon automated, and then the number of vehicles to be produced will rise sharply," Tsuga said, according to Reuters. He didn't specify how far behind schedule Model 3 production is at this point.
Tesla will report fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday. A Tesla representative declined to comment on the report.