Tesla adds ‘Summon’ feature to new mainstream model

HI-TECH feature bends Tesla’s newest model to your will.

ELON Musk has waived his magic wand over the troubled Model 3 and imbued it with a new hi-tech feature.

Tesla has announced that it has installed the electric car company’s “Summon” feature in the critical new Model 3 compact sedan. Tesla tweeted the news in response to a video showing the Summon function in action.

Summon now available in Model 3 https://t.co/y2CORUAb3B

— Tesla (@Tesla) July 4, 2018

The function, which is part of the autopilot technology and is available via an over-the-air update, is controlled by a smartphone. Summon allows owners to park their car without being in it and to retrieve the vehicle from a garage with swipes and taps.

Mass production: Tesla has finally achieved its goal of 5000 Model 3s produced a week.

The feature is designed to make parking easier in tight garages or next to a wall or pillar.

The tech is not new — it is available in the stablemate Model S luxury sedan and Model X SUV as well as several other marques like BMW — though it is usually reserved for more expensive machines.

In another piece of good news for the struggling brand, it has finally achieved its weekly production goal of 5000 Model 3s in a week. Tesla made about 7000 cars in total during the same week.

7000 cars, 7 days
♥️ Tesla Team ♥️

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 1, 2018

In typical Tesla fashion, the goal was quickly upped to a target of 6000 by late August.

Hitting that goal was seen as the benchmark for Musk to consider Tesla a real car company, according to an email sent to staff and obtained by Bloomberg.

However, the manner in which Tesla hit the target does not inspire confidence. In June the maker added a third production line in its bid to reach the 5000 cars a week goal — but the third line was built in an unorthodox manner in the car park under a giant tent.

According to Reuters, in the rush to reach the milestone Tesla had to disrupt production of the Model S to push the Model 3s through.

High stakes: Tesla’s future is riding on the success of the Model 3.

“They were borrowing people from our line all day to cover (Model 3) breaks so the line would continue to move,” said a Tesla worker on the Model S production line.

“They’ve been throwing Model 3s ahead of the S to get painted to try to assure that they make their goal of 5000,” the worker said. “The paint department can’t handle the volume.”

This stripping of resources led to the Model S falling 800 vehicles behind schedule.

Model 3 production is viewed as the most important factor in the electric car maker turning a profit — and the 5000 cars a week goal is the only way for the company to achieve that.

Another factor speeding Tesla along is that several major brands, such Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Hyundai, are preparing to launch affordable electric cars in the near future. Tesla is trying to establish its market share and resolve reliability issues before they arrive.