Tesla's gross margins are currently 8% (whereas BMW is something like 19%) and they expect it to increase to 25% in one year alone. It's already up significantly from negative territory (I shudder to think what it was on the Roadster), but they still have to make the car another 18.5% cheaper. I wonder if they're aiming to squeeze that from the battery cost, in which case it's up to Panasonic, I suppose.
They're about to hit a volume discount from Panasonic, according to the earnings call. There are a number of other efficiencies they've identified. On the call Elon recounts some anecdotes about parts suppliers not being prepared in 2012 for the volume of orders, inefficient tire shipments, etc.
I suspect they will find ways of assembling the car quicker. That alone will reduce the cost (share of fixed overheads per car would be down) as well as allowing negotiating bigger volume discounts on materials and components.
