Tesla 1Q sales fall sharply as competition heats up, EV demand slows

Detroit — Tesla Inc. sales fell sharply last quarter as competition increased worldwide, electric vehicle sales growth slowed, and price cuts failed to draw more buyers.

The Austin, Texas, company said it delivered 386,810 vehicles from January through March, almost 9% below the 423,000 it sold in the same quarter of last year.

Sales also fell short of Wall Street expectations. Analysts polled by FactSet expected Tesla Inc. to deliver 457,000 vehicles.

The company blamed the decline in part on phasing in an updated version of the Model 3 sedan at its plant in Fremont, California, factory shutdowns due to shipping diversions in the Red Sea, and an arson attack that knocked out power to its German factory.

In its letter to investors in January, the company predicted “notably lower” sales growth this year. The letter said Tesla is between two big growth waves, one from global expansion of the Models 3 and Y, and a second coming from the Model 2, a new smaller and less expensive vehicle.

Last year Tesla dramatically lowered U.S. prices by up to $20,000 for some models. In March it temporarily knocked $1,000 off the Model Y, its top-selling vehicle. The reductions cut into the company’s profit margins, which spooked investors.

Shares of Tesla closed down nearly 6% Tuesday. They have lost about 30% of their value so far this year as Wall Street grew leery of the tremendous growth story that Tesla was telling.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, normally bullish on the stock, wrote in an investor note last week that first-quarter deliveries would be a “nightmare quarter” for Tesla.

Ives gave the stock an Outperform rating but cut his one-year price target from $315 to $300.

During the quarter, Tesla lost production time in Germany after a suspected arson attack cut its power supply. U.S. production was slowed by an upgrade to the Model 3, and Ives estimated that China sales slid 3% to 4% during the period.

Ives wrote that investor patience is starting to wear thin.

“For Musk, this is a ‘fork in the road’ time to get Tesla through this turbulent period, otherwise darker days could be ahead,” Ives wrote.

Softer than expected first-quarter sales is reducing analyst expectations for quarterly earnings when they are released on April 23. Citi Analyst Itay Michaeli cut his full year 2024 earnings per share estimate to $2.71 from $2.78.