Tesla confirms delivery of 495,570 EVs, way below its own guidance
electrek.co3.8% below target is "way below"?
I'm not a professional analyst but the numbers look weird to me. Prediction was to sell 507,000 in Q4, they delivered 497,570, but only made 459,445. That means that they had almost 35.000 cars "laying around" from Q3 that they delivered in Q4. That seems a bit weird to me. But maybe someone that monitors the big 3 automakers in the USA can comment on how many cars waiting in the pipeline is a normal amount.
Also the total 2024 production shows something very interesting: Tesla is a one-trick pony. They sold 1,77 million cars, of which 1,70 million were model 3/Y. So the Model S, X, and cybertruck only make up 85,000 cars. That is not healthy for the long term. Because the Model 3 and Y compete in the middle class price wise, so nobody buys expensive Tesla's. And nobody can buy a cheap Tesla because there is no 25k Toyota Corolla equivalent.
It will be interesting to see in the next years if Tesla can make a dent in other price segments.
After the last election, my left leaning friends, Tesla’s historical core market, will never buy a Tesla. For all practical purposes, a hybrid is a better choice, unless your state restricts carpool lane access to fully electric vehicles. I’m surprised their sales were as high as they were. Expect that if you eliminated cybertruck sales to right wingers (a blip which will rapidly decline), their sales numbers are headed into the ground.
And how many people who threatened to “move to Canada” did so? I don’t doubt that Elon’s antics will have an impact, but in my experience the actions people take may be different when the rubber meets the road. Your friends may be less idealistic (or changed by the world) in a few years, and some concerns may be weighed differently.
I don’t think there’s a valid universal “hybrids are better” conclusion; it all depends on your specific needs and what you value. A single car for a single person is different than a family with multiple cars. For an electric car, Tesla still makes a compelling product (and while competitors in the US are getting much better, notably Hyundia/Kia, Tesla still feels like the market leader).
Moving to Canada is way harder than choosing not to buy a Tesla in the future. And few people will buy something that gets them judged or ridiculed by their community or friends. Fortunately, the EV market is getting competitive.