Tesla reported third-quarter deliveries that topped the highest analyst estimate, but the stock pulled back.
An uptick in quarterly vehicle deliveries follows Wednesday's expiration of a $7,500 federal tax credit for Americans purchasing electric vehicles. EV sales have risen in recent years and at a rate faster than gas-powered cars, increasing by 7% to 1.6 million in 2024, well above the 2% rate for non-electric passenger vehicles, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Tesla's sales growth has vanished over the last year-and-a-half, but the company just registered its best quarter of deliveries ever, in large part because buyers rushed to take advantage of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit before it went away.
Tesla posted third-quarter vehicle deliveries and production numbers. Wall Street analysts were expecting the automaker to report around 447,600 deliveries, according to estimates compiled by FactSet.
China's top automaker BYD posted its first sales drop in over 18 months. BYD sold 396,270 cars in September, a 5.5% decline from a year earlier.
Sales could drop after the credits dry up, auto executives and analysts have warned.
Tesla, Inc. is a cautious buy at current levels, but a buy nonetheless. This is driven by its robotics, AI, and energy ambitions, despite short-term EV sales weakness and CEO Elon Musk controversies. Tesla faces volatility as the U.S. EV tax credit expires, but its pricing power and brand resilience set it apart from smaller competitors such as Ford and General Motors. Valuation is stretched, but TSLA stock's underperformance versus American and Chinese peers alike could reverse if progress is made on robotaxi and Optimus.
Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) does not plan to cut its profit margins due to the end of the $7,500 federal electric vehicle (EV) tax credit.
It's suddenly more expensive to drive off in a Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). The company has raised lease rates across its US line-up after federal tax credits for electric vehicles expired at the end of September.
Tesla is set to report its strongest quarter of the year on Thursday thanks to a U.S. rush to secure a $7,500 EV tax credit that expired earlier this week, but analysts expect the boost to be short-lived and European weakness to persist.
Tesla's sales rose in France and Denmark last month for the first time this year, local industry data showed on Wednesday, with the U.S. electric car maker's revamped Model Y coming in as the best-selling model in Denmark.
Tesla has raised lease prices for all its vehicles in the U.S. after a $7,500 tax credit that boosted EV sales expired, according to its website on Wednesday.