Green energy like solar and battery driven automotive cars are great business, and Tesla Motors is one of the most interesting and exciting automotive companies in the U.S to watch right now. The company lost $50 million in Q1 and they will probably continue to lose money, so their new Model X could be delayed until 2015.
They produced 7,535 new cars in the first three months of this fiscal year, and lost $50 million on GAAP basis, using the non-GAAP method that Tesla prefers, it saw $17 million in net income. EPS is $0,12, and that was less than some of the rosier forecasts.
The demand for Tesla is rising and their demand rose 10 percent in the quarter. China can become the biggest market, and Elon Musk said he is «blown away» by the level of enthusiasm in China. There is a five month wait for the cars and some customers are frustrated.
It`s Fremont factory will be shut down for ten days in July whilst it installs a new, more efficient production line with more automotive. If the Gigafactory and Gen III production aren`t well synchronized, Tesla will be in big trouble.
Things never run perfectly smoothly and there is some bad news for waiting Model X customers. CEO Elon Musk said Model X will be delivered in the second quarter of 2015, pushing back the expected date by a couple of months.
guidance for Model S is 7,500, up from 6,457 delivered in Q1. Tesla have started to deliver in U.K and China, which is two new markets with great demand. It`s hard to be negative about the numbers in light of the two new markets and Q2 production already having been sold. So, why does the quarter look like it will go down to the wire?
It`s estimated that Tesla`s May deliveries will come in at 1,000, and this is down from 1,100 in April. It`s also down from 1,700 in May last year. It looks like the delivery in U.S has peaked for a long time, and that stagnation is the result right now. This will be interesting for Q3 and Q4, since Tesla will run out of large new markets except for Japan.
The biggest market is U.S, and the second largest market is in terms of population, is Norway, which had a massive month of March, but at this point it is looking peaked. This is just how the automotive market work.
On june 12, CEO Elon Musk wrote a blog stating that Tesla would not initiate lawsuits against anyone who wishes to use their technology in good faith. They are not anti-competitive and do not entrench the power of dominant firms in their respective markets. The terms must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner, and rights are licensed at rates that if aggregated would not make the industry uncompetitive.
CEO Elon Musk wrote:
“Technology leadership is not defined by patents, which history has repeatedly shown to be small protection indeed against a determined competitor…”
Tesla`s move to open its patents is about hardcore strategic thinking. They simply try to remove obstacles to EV industry growth by helping develop homogeneous solutions. Tesla can use this as a Trojan horse to become a toll collector on all EV revenues in the future.
It`s a growing concern among different investors that Tesla would not be able to repay $2,2 billion in debt in the next four to seven years. Bonds were assigned a junk rating in May by credit rating agency Standard & Poor`s.
Tesla is in partnership with other vehicle manufacturers like Toyota and Daimler. Toyota bought $50 million worth of stock when Tesla went public in July 2010, and Daimler spent $50 million for a 10 percent stake in 2009. Both companies relied on Tesla for help in the development of electric vehicles.
Daimler uses a Tesla battery in the electric version of its Smart City car, and its Mercedes B-class EV features a Tesla power train. Toyota signed a $100 million-contract with the company to supply power trains, gearbox and software for the RAV4 EV, and the deal ended in May 2014.
Model X reservation confirmations went out early and so far Elon Musk hasn`t given shareholders a reason not to trust him. No doubt that Tesla longs are a cultish, giddy group of investors. Tesla is a revolutionary green company that belongs to the future.
Reports today:
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