Elon's 'New Book': Tesla Targets 5 Million Cars by 2028 on Autonomy Hopes

TL;DR: Elon Musk is telling y'all that Tesla is opening a 'new book,' not just a chapter, by aiming for a wild 50% production hike by late 2026, and an astronomical 5 million vehicles annually by 2028. This ambitious growth isn't just about cars; it's all riding on finally cracking 'unsupervised autonomy' and a massive ramp-up of Optimus robots. It's a vision so big, it makes a clown car look like a smart car.

Meta: Tesla aims for 5 million annual vehicle production by 2028, banking on FSD autonomy and Optimus ramp-up.

Alright, alright, settle down now! Elon Musk, the man with more audacious plans than a kid in a candy store, just dropped some bombshells at Tesla's annual shareholder meeting. He ain't just writing a new chapter for Tesla; he's starting a whole new book! And this book? It's filled with numbers that'll make your head spin faster than a Model S on Ludicrous Mode.

He's talkin' about an aggressive production ramp-up, folks. We're talking a roughly 50% increase in vehicle output by the end of 2026. Then, by the end of next year, he's projecting 2.6-2.7 million annualized units. But hold on, the real magic trick is for 2028: 5 million annualized units! That's more cars than some small countries have! This ain't no small feat; it's a marathon, not a sprint, but he wants them to run like Usain Bolt.

The Autonomy Bet: The 'New Book' Foundation

Now, what's the secret sauce for this massive growth? According to Musk, it's all riding on Tesla finally 'solving' autonomy. "Now that we believe we have full self-driving, that we have autonomy solved or at least within a few months of having it unsupervised autonomy solved at a reliability level significantly better than human – that means it’s time to ramp up production because the value proposition is now much greater than a regular car," he told investors. So, the minute FSD is truly hands-off, Tesla plans to hit the gas pedal on production harder than ever before.

This isn't just about building cars, though. Musk also laid out plans to ramp up Optimus, their humanoid robot, "faster than anything’s ever been ramped up before in history." He's envisioning an army of these robots, working alongside humans, or maybe even replacing them, who knows? It's a sci-fi movie in the making, and we've all got front-row seats.

The Herculean Task of Scaling

Currently, Tesla's installed capacity is just over 2.35 million vehicles. Hitting 5 million by 2028 means they're gonna need factory upgrades, supplier expansions, and manufacturing efficiencies that make what they're doing now look like child's play. "The nature of producing a large complex product is that it moves as fast as the least lucky, dumbest element in the entire system," Musk said. That's a mouthful, but it basically means every single screw, wire, and chip has to be on point. It's like trying to get all your family members ready for a road trip on time – impossible!

This is a massive shift from the slower pace we've seen recently. If Tesla actually hits these autonomy milestones and these production targets, it'll be a story for the ages. If not, well, at least we got some good headlines out of it.

What’s Next

Keep your eyes peeled for faster factory build-outs, new production techniques, and, of course, those FSD updates. The next few months will be crucial for Musk to show some tangible progress on that "unsupervised autonomy solved" claim. If he delivers, then these production targets might just become reality. If not, well, then it's back to the drawing board, or maybe just a really good improv class. You never know!

That's the word from the front, folks! Stay electric, and stay tuned!