Washington (AFP)

Tesla has set a new record for car deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2020, allowing itself the luxury of beating the markets' most optimistic forecasts.

The premium electric vehicle maker has delivered 180,570 cars to customers in the past three months, and produced 179,757 units in the same period, it said in a statement.

The group of the whimsical and charismatic billionaire Elon Musk had never exceeded the bar of 150,000 cars delivered in a quarter.

Its previous record was 139,300 copies in the third quarter of 2020.

Tesla, which could for the first time become profitable over a whole year, has not ceased to surprise the financial markets and its critics for several months.

Analysts, for example, expected deliveries of 174,000 cars, according to financial data firm FactSet.

Over the whole of 2020, the manufacturer, which produces the Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y, delivered a total of 499,550 cars, slightly below its target of 500,000 units;

and he produced 509,737, again a record.

Tesla chief and co-founder Elon Musk praised the numbers, seeing them as a significant milestone for the company.

"So proud of the Tesla team for making this big step! When Tesla started, I thought we had (optimistically) a 10% chance of surviving," the entrepreneur tweeted.

In detail, the Model 3, its entry-level car, and the Model Y, the crossover, accounted for nearly 86% of deliveries, the balance being split between the Model S sedan and the Model X butterfly-door SUV. .

Tesla, which wants to go to maximum speed in terms of production - from 500,000 vehicles produced in 2020 to 20 million per year during the next decade -, indicates that it has started production in Shanghai of the Model Y. The first deliveries of the crossover "Made in China" should start "soon".

The automaker's promises and ambitions and its huge lead over its electric rivals fueled a stock market surge on Wall Street last year.

An ascent that could continue in 2021, investors may decide to reward the group's many projects: Tesla is building its second American plant in Austin (Texas) and its first European production site in Germany.

The model portfolio is gradually expanding: an electric pickup, Cybertruck, and an electric semi-trailer are expected soon.

© 2021 AFP