Days earlier, the SEC had sued Musk and asked a federal judge to prevent him from ever leading a publicly traded company again. The SEC abandoned that request as part of the settlement, which imposes new restrictions on Musk's communications.
The matter qualified as a significant distraction at a time when Tesla needed to focus on increasing the pace of production of the Model 3, which is its most affordable and thus most important electric vehicle yet.
Tuesday's report showed Tesla largely achieved its production goals for the quarter. The key question now is whether it can maintain that rate and turn a profit – while ensuring production quality and luring mainstream customers.
Tesla's stock rose 0.7 percent in early trading to $313.
The company faces other challenges as well, such as hurdles in delivering cars to customers.
Vehicle deliveries totaled 83,500 for the quarter, including 55,840 Model 3 cars.
Other challenges include escalated tariffs due to the U.S.-China trade dispute. With China charging a 40 percent tariff on U.S. imports, Tesla is facing a serious disadvantage in the world's largest vehicle market.
The company said it is "accelerating construction" of its recently announced Shanghai factory, which would allow the company to escape import tariffs.
