(Photo: AP)

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) - US top electric car maker Tesla Inc. on Tuesday announced a record quarterly production of electric vehicles as its total output hit 80,142 units in the third quarter, 50 percent more than the previous corresponding period.

Tesla said in a statement that it delivered 83,500 vehicles in the third quarter, including 55,840 Model 3, 14,470 Model S, and 13,190 Model X, indicating it had achieved its production goals for the quarter.

With these figures, "we delivered more than 80% of the vehicles that we delivered in all of 2017, and we delivered about twice as many Model 3s as we did in all previous quarters combined," said the e-vehicle manufacturer based in Palo Alto in northern California.

This is Tesla's first disclosure of its quarterly vehicle production since its CEO Elon Musk announced last week resignation as chairman of the board of directors and agreed to pay 20 million US dollars in penalty with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a settlement agreement over Musk's August tweets about considering taking the company private.

The SEC criticized Musk's tweeted announcement as misleading and leading to significant disruption on the stock market.

Tesla said its Q3 deliveries of Model 3, which is crucial to the firm's success, were limited to higher-priced variants, cash/loan transactions, and North American customers only.

Tesla is eying even more ambitious targets in the fourth quarter as its Model 3 production ramp is expected to continue until the company hits a steady pace of producing 10,000 Model 3 per week.