In Tesla‘s (NASDAQ: TSLA) fourth-quarter shareholder letter, management understandably refrained from providing guidance beyond the first half of 2017. Given that the second half of the year is expected to include the unpredictable production ramp of Tesla’s upcoming higher-volume Model 3, guidance for such an uncertain outcome could do more harm than good for investors.
But what’s interesting about the guidance for vehicle deliveries Tesla did provide is that it’s not nearly as ambitious as it looks at first glance.