Tesla knocked $2,000 off of the prices of its cars in the US on Wednesday to help offset a recent reduction of the federal electric vehicle tax credit. The automaker also announced initial delivery and production numbers for the fourth quarter of 2018, showing that the frenzied pace it carried through most of the year — led by the big Model 3 push — helped Tesla set new company records, even though it cooled toward the end.
The cheapest Model 3 (a “midrange” rear-wheel drive version announced in October) will now start at $44,000. The base Model S now costs $76,000, and the most affordable Model X now starts at $82,000. (Prices for the base Models S and X went up in November.)
Tesla’s pace of production and deliveries tapered off...