Tesla delivered record 10,030 cars in first quarter

CALIFORNIA , Apr 5 (Reuters): Tesla Motors Inc said it delivered a record 10,030 cars in the first quarter, a 55 per cent increase compared with the number of deliveries in the first quarter of last year.

The company said going forward it will publish the number of new car deliveries within three days of quarter end as inaccurate sources of information have sometimes been used by others in publishing the number of vehicle deliveries.

The company expects to deliver about 55,000 cars globally in 2015, an increase of about 74 per cent.

The company's stock has been battered this year by investors concerned about the automaker's failure to hit sales targets in China and the departures last year of two top Tesla executives in that country.

Earlier in the week, Elon Musk, the widely followed chief executive of electric car maker, tweeted several optimistic statements about the company's sagging China operations.

Tesla Motors is also set to offer upgrades including hands-free steering on its Model S sedan in three months, about a year ahead of other automakers.