Tesla halting factory for Model 3 planning this month

Tesla Inc stated on Wednesday it will halt production at its California assembly plant for a week this month to get ready for production of its high-volume Model 3 sedan, moving the automaker more detailed to fulfilling its target to begin production in July.

Tesla stated the short, prepared pause would enable the automaker to add capacity to the present paint shop to prepare it for the Model 3, and other basic maintenance.

“This will enable Tesla to start Model 3 production later on this year as planned and enable us to start the ramp towards 500,000 vehicles each year in 2018,” stated a Tesla representative.

He added that the halt was not expected to have a product impact on first-quarter production or shipment figures, as the automaker had included production days to compensate.