Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hosted a flamethrower party on Saturday for customers who had purchased his Boring Company flamethrower for upwards of $500 — as Tesla remains mired in production problems.
Those who had purchased the flamethrowers were able to pick them up and test them at the party in Hawthorne, California, with photo ops included.
According to CNBC, Musk’s Boring Company “sold 20,000 units — or $10 million worth — in just five days,” despite the fact that the “flamethrowers” have been described as closer to blowtorches, and another party is also reportedly in the works.
One user on Twitter criticized Musk for promoting and selling flamethrowers in California, where fire hazards are frequent.
This month, internal documents revealed that Tesla was wasting a “jaw-dropping” amount of money and materials on Model 3 production, including robots running amok on the production line and destroying car parts.
In March, it was reported that the market was betting against Musk’s Tesla, with the company’s stock falling to a 13-month low following the announcement that half of the cars Tesla ever produced have been recalled.
In April, reports indicated that Musk could be ousted as chairman of Tesla, and orders of Tesla’s Model 3 car have been continuously delayed.
In November 2017, deliveries of the Model 3 were delayed by six months, while in February 2018, deliveries were delayed yet again.
“Multiple customers that have had deposits placed on the Model 3 cars since 2016 are reporting that they received an email stating that the car will be delivered in ‘late 2018,’ while others are being informed that they’ll have to wait until ‘early 2019,’ to receive the car they paid for years previously,” reported Breitbart Tech’s Lucas Nolan in February.
Last month, Musk admitted on Twitter that Tesla would “lose money and die” if it were to release $35,000 Model 3 cars at their promised price with the company’s current production rate.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington, or like his page at Facebook.