Tesla's first-quarter net income tumbles 55% as falling global sales and price cuts reduce profits
Tesla's first-quarter net income plummeted 55% as falling global sales and price cuts sliced into the electric vehicle maker's revenue and profit margins.
The Austin, Texas, company said it made $1.13 billion from January through March compared with $2.51 billion in the same period a year ago.
Revenue was $21.3 billion, down 9% from last year as worldwide sales dropped nearly 9% due to increased competition and slowing demand for electric vehicles. Tesla also blamed an arson attack at its German plant and factory downtime as it switched factories to an updated version of the Model 3 sedan.
Excluding one-time items such as stock-based compensation, Tesla made 45 cents per share, falling short of analyst estimates of 49 cents, according to FactSet.
The company's gross profit margin, the percentage of revenue it gets to keep after expenses, fell once again to 17.4%. A year ago it was 19.3%, and it peaked at 29.1% in the first quarter of 2022.
Tesla said in a letter to investors Tuesday that its vehicle sales growth “may be notably lower” than last year as it works on the launch of its next generation vehicle and unidentified other products.
The next generation vehicle apparently is the small Model 2, which is expected to cost around $25,000 and give Tesla more appeal to mass-market buyers. It wasn't clear whether the company would continue to pursue that car.
The company also appears to be counting on a vehicle built to be a fully autonomous robotaxi as the catalyst for future earnings growth. CEO Elon Musk has said the robotaxi will be unveiled on Aug. 8.
Shares of Tesla rose 5.2%