Tesla pulls 2 paint colors to ‘simplify manufacturing’

Seven paint options for future Teslas will soon dwindle to five.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Monday night that Tesla would “simplify manufacturing” by removing Obsidian Black Metallic and Silver Metallic from the menu of colors as of Wednesday, possibly so it can catch up on missed production deadlines and fulfill  orders already placed by consumers who want to drive its new electric sedan, the Model 3. 

Any color beyond Solid Black already come at an additional cost, but starting Wednesday the metallic black and silver options will be moved to a “special order” status.

Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment as to why the metallic colors were problematic for production, or what Musk means by “higher price,” but we’ll update this post if we hear back.

In a reply to a customer who wanted to know about options to service his Silver Metallic Model X 100, Musk tweeted that service centers will continue to stock parts in each color for owners of cars painted with the soon-limited colors. 

In July, Musk stated an August goal of producing 6,000 Model 3 cars per week, however the current reality is closer to 3,500, according to estimates by Bloomberg.

After the announcement, Musk described the process of using red paint as looking “like an episode of Dexter,” the TV series about a serial killer/blood spatter expert. He included a photo showing the car plant in red, looking “so sus.” 

With Musk wanting to get this show on the road, he most likely realized there’s just no time for frivolous things like sparkly paint.