AFAIK nobody ever said that. The quote I remember was that they started full production some time before August 2018.
Just prior to that, Sandro had said that "the next thing is already in
pre-production" on a livestream.
At the time, people were joking that "pre-production" could mean almost anything - hiring staff, talking about it in the pub, making doodles on napkins, whatever.
Regardless of what "pre-production" actually entailed, if we're to believe what was said we know "The New Era" changed (allegedly) from "pre-production" to "full production" sometime in the middle of 2018 and not before.
+EDIT+
Also, let's not forget that Beyond had been in "full production" for at least a year when they decided to defer Fleet Carriers.
FCs, themselves, remained an intended milestone and have now been delayed
again, for a development cycle of getting on for 30 months - assuming they
do actually arrive next year.
If we're considering what FDev is capable of delivering within a 2 year development period, the palaver surrounding FC's does
not make for an encouraging barometer.