New Delhi, Oct. 3 -- AUSTIN, Texas - Tesla closed the third quarter with the kind of headline number that commands the market's attention and tests its nerves. The electric-vehicle maker delivered a record 497,099 cars worldwide for the three months ended Sept. 30, even as production eased to 447,450figures spelled out in a company filing with exact Q3 totals and webcast details. The surge capped days of last-minute orders and showroom traffic as American buyers raced to use a federal tax credit that expired at the end of September, a pull-forward that turned a tepid sales year into a blockbuster quarter, while raising a new question: what happens now that the incentive is gone?

A record built on urgency

For most of 2025, Tesla had been...