Is Elon Musk paying more attention to SpaceX than Tesla? Model 3 delivery pushed back to 2019

After the successful launch of their most ambitious mission so far, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is on a high, but his Tesla brand seems to be taking hit after hit. The production and delivery of the Tesla Model 3, their "affordable" $35,000 (£25,227.30) car seems to be hitting several roadblocks.

Today, news broke that delivery of the base variant of the Model 3 has been pushed back to early 2019. This comes right after their Q4 and 2017 report was published. Cars that were promised in early 2018 are now being pushed to 2019.

According to their website, customers who were waiting for the standard battery variant, rear wheel drive Model 3 will have to wait nearly one more year. Those who made the Day 1 reservation will get their cars, according to the website in late 2018, and Day 2 reservation holders will have to wait until next year.

The reason for this push-back is reported to be because of the losses that the company has been facing over the last few quarters. Insideevs reports that if Tesla is struggling to make profits on a $55,000 (£39,642.90) variant of the Model 3, they are not likely to really make any on the $35,000 base model.

It looks like Tesla is prioritising the more expensive versions of the car over the loss-making base variants, but the report mentions that it was not an unexpected move.