Tesla: production slows amid rocky start to the new year

Disappointing production figures come amid more uncertainty for a company that seems to be caught in an endless cycle of turmoil

Electric carmaker Tesla's output slowed down during a rocky start to the new year, a development that will likely magnify nagging doubts about whether the electric car pioneer will be able to make the mass-market leap.

The Palo Alto, California, company churned out 77,100 vehicles from January to March, well behind the pace it must sustain to fulfill the CEO Elon Musk's pledge to manufacture 500,000 cars annually.