- Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla was "idiotic" to stop production of the older Model X in December 2020.
- The CEO said Tesla still hasn't fully recovered from its decision to cut production.
- After halting production of the old Model X, Tesla started delivering the updated version in 2021.
Elon Musk said on Wednesday that Tesla was "idiotic" to pause production of the older version of the Model X in 2020 when it was still in demand.
The CEO's comments came in response to a Twitter user who claimed in a post that some Tesla customers have waited more than a year for the Model X and have received no updates from the company.
"We dropped the ball badly regarding new Model X production ramp & still haven't fully recovered," Musk tweeted. "Was idiotic to stop production of old X in Dec 2020 when there was still plenty of demand!"
In a later tweet, Musk said the Model X was an "extremely difficult" vehicle to make and was the "most complex passenger car ever," adding that the limiting factor was the interior trim.
Tesla started delivering the updated version of the Model X in October after months of delays, which it attributed to supply-chain problems and challenges in increasing production.
Tesla didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of US operating hours.
The Model X was unveiled to the public in 2015 at a company facility in Fremont, California.
Musk has previously described developing and producing the Model X as "the most difficult car in the world to build." He also said he wasn't sure anyone should have made the vehicle, Insider reported in 2015.
The Model X features automatic "falcon wing" doors, a panoramic windshield, an air-filtration system with a "bioweapon defense mode," and top performance, Musk said at the launch event in 2015, per Insider.