The deliveries of Tesla Are in the past quarter after a model change and controversy around company boss Elon Musk (53) fell by around 13 percent in the year. The electric car manufacturer brought 336,681 vehicles to customers between January and the end of March. The numbers were significantly worse than expected from analysts. They had assumed an average of 3.5 percent. The Tesla share initially fell by 2 percent at the start of the trade in the United States.
The weak numbers had already emerged. In the first two months, the Tesla new approvals in the European Union slipped by 49 percent in the annual two months to a good 19,000 cars. In Germany The new registrations in February fell to only 1429 of 6038 vehicles a year earlier. In China After preliminary numbers there was a minus of more than 11 percent in March. Tesla himself does not provide any information about results in individual regions.
It is difficult to determine how strongly individual reasons contributed to the decline. A factor should be the switch to a renewed generation of the bestseller Model Y.
Tesla converted the production lines at the beginning of the year. For this, production paused for a few weeks. At the same time, pricing prospective customers were less to buy a vehicle of the previous Y variant. It could still take two quarters for this effect to be digested, Bryn Talkington from Requisite Capital Management estimates.
At the same time, Tesla built a good 16 percent less cars with 362,615 cars of all models in the past quarter than a year earlier.
In addition, the criticism of the political role and the views of Musk has become increasingly louder in recent months. There were boycott calls and only last weekend protests at Tesla locations in different countries.
Controversy around Elon Musk
The technology billionaire became a close ally of Donald Trump (78), which he donated more than $ 250 million for the election campaign for the White House. As President, Trump commissioned him to reduce government expenditure.
Musk triggered numerous controversy in this role. Critics accuse him of ruthless cuts. For example, he bragged about throwing the development aid authority in the USAID “in the wood chopper”-and constantly speaks of allegedly discovered billions of billions without providing any evidence.
Musk’s political views also scare at least some potential Tesla buyers. In Germany, the controversial manager campaigned for the AfD before the Bundestag election and at times also interfered in British politics.
Tesla purchase show at the White House
He complains about alleged racism against white and claims that the US Democrats smoke foreigners into the country to turn elections in their favor. At an event for the inauguration of Trump, Musk shocked spectators with a Hitler greeting-like gesture. He criticized this as the “dirty tricks” of his opponents.
Musk was considered the driving force for Tesla’s success for years. Are his political actions a burden on the electric car maker? In demonstrations, Teslas are insulted as “Nazi cars”. Vehicles were lit at Tesla delivery centers and smeared with slogans.
The US government demonstratively strengthens Trump’s familiar muscle. US Justice Minister Pam Bondi (59) threatened to classify vandalism against Tesla as domestic terrorism. Minister of Commerce Howard Lutnick (63) called on to buy Tesla shares. Trump himself had several Teslas opened in front of the White House and chose a red model for sale. “I love Tesla!”, The US President announced in an unusual advertising campaign.
Musk hopes for robotaxis and robots
Even at Musk and Tesla, well – -being industry analysts Dan Ives rings the alarm bells. Now a “moment of truth” for Musk is, the expert from the investment company Wedbus recently said in the US economic station CNBC. Musk had to balance his cost-lowering role and the job as Tesla boss-and maybe step down a little in the White House, Ives suggested to him.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s cars are getting more and more competition – especially in the important Chinese market. Musk, on the other hand, keeps that autonomous driving and humanoid robot Tesla would make it by far the most valuable company in the world. However, the company has so far owed the proof that it can build reliably driving cars without human intervention.
The controversy and doubts about the business prospects also gnaw on the foundation of Musk’s influence: the Tesla share course. Above all, it is his participation in the electric car maker who makes him by far the richest person in the world – at least on paper. After Trump’s election victory in November, the Tesla course had sometimes doubled. Now the stock is again noted at the level of October.