June 7, 2018—Elon Musk and other Tesla officials hinted at the company's future plans during a shareholders meeting, reported USA Today.
Musk said there will be a new version of Autopilot rolling out next week, according to the report. Musk also said the company will be opening body shops, some of which could offer same-day repair.
Musk said Tesla will open its first stores in the top ten metro areas by the end of the month, reported Electreck.
Last year, Tesla moved some of its training programs online and it looked to certify more equipment in order to offer more options to shops. The automaker said it was ‘adding 300 body shops to its network,‘ according to Electrek.
Musk said some parts would be pre-stocked at the shops to result in faster repair times. Right now, it can sometimes take months for a Tesla repair, according to the report.
Perhaps the second biggest takeaway from the annual meeting was the fact that Tesla management continues to expect a dramatic operational improvement in the second half of 2018. Specifically, Musk noted, it appears Tesla will have positive net income and positive cash flow in the year’s third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Finally, Musk said production of the smaller battery pack that figures to be used in Tesla's Model 3 should begin in late 2018, and the hope is to begin mass production of the base Model 3 in the first quarter of 2019.
Other updates include Tesla offering Model 3 test drives in some of its store locations by the end of the month. Tesla will not be making motorcycles
