Investor's Corner
Tesla crushes expectations by wrapping up 2021 with 936k vehicle deliveries
Tesla has released its fourth-quarter and full-year vehicle production and delivery report, and it is quite incredible. Over the course of 2021, Tesla produced an extremely impressive 930,422 vehicles. Full-year deliveries were even more insane, with the EV maker completing 936,172 handovers during the year.
As per the company’s report, Tesla produced a total of 24,390 Model S and Model X and 906,032 Model 3 and Model Y in 2021. Among the 936,172 vehicles delivered, 24,964 were Model S and Model X and 911,208 were Model 3 and Model Y. The numbers prove the strength of vehicles like the Model 3 and Model Y in their respective segments, as both vehicles received multiple price adjustments over the year.
Production & deliveries in Q4 exceeded 300k vehicles https://t.co/xE7LnWG0va
— Tesla (@Tesla) January 2, 2022
The fourth quarter’s results are nothing to scoff at either. In Q4 2021, Tesla produced a total of 305,840 vehicles comprised of 13,109 Model S and Model X and 292,731 Model 3 and Model Y. Tesla also delivered a total of 308,600 vehicles comprised of 11,750 Model S and Model X and 296,850 Model 3 and Model Y.
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2021 production and delivery results are pretty amazing, and they easily beat consensus estimates from analysts. FactSet consensus pointed to Tesla delivering 267,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter and 897,000 for the full year of 2021.
Tesla easily beats consensus estimates on Q4 and 2021 deliveries. $TSLA Delivered 308,600 in Q4 vs. estimate of 267K and 936,172 for 2021 vs the Factset consensus of 897K
— Phil LeBeau (@Lebeaucarnews) January 2, 2022
Needless to say, Tesla had an extremely successful 2021. This was despite headwinds such as a chip shortage, a supply chain crisis, and an increasing number of competition from both new EV makers and veteran automakers. The coming year would likely be even better for Tesla, as the company is still looking to optimize its operations in Giga Shanghai while commencing vehicle production in Giga Berlin and Gigafactory Texas.
Below is Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2021 vehicle production and delivery report.
AUSTIN, Texas, January 2, 2022 – In the fourth quarter, we achieved production of more than 305,000 vehicles and deliveries of over 308,000 vehicles. In 2021, we delivered over 936,000 vehicles.
Thank you to all of our customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and supporters who helped us achieve a great year.
Q4 2021
| Production | Deliveries | Subject to operating lease accounting | |
| Model S/X | 13,109 | 11,750 | 17% |
| Model 3/Y | 292,731 | 296,850 | 5% |
| Total | 305,840 | 308,600 | 5% |
2021
| Production | Deliveries | ||
| Model S/X | 24,390 | 24,964 | |
| Model 3/Y | 906,032 | 911,208 | |
| Total | 930,422 | 936,172 |
***************
Our net income and cash flow results will be announced along with the rest of our financial performance when we announce Q4 earnings. Our delivery count should be viewed as slightly conservative, as we only count a car as delivered if it is transferred to the customer and all paperwork is correct. Final numbers could vary by up to 0.5% or more. Tesla vehicle deliveries represent only one measure of the company’s financial performance and should not be relied on as an indicator of quarterly financial results, which depend on a variety of factors, including the cost of sales, foreign exchange movements and mix of directly leased vehicles.
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Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.
The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.
The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”
Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Napoli said:
“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.
As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.
We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.
My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.
I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”
🚨 Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli calls rumors of financial issues “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Read his full remarks here: https://t.co/t3Pg1NHvzy pic.twitter.com/LvHUPhO4Qf
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 15, 2026
It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.
Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.
Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.
Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.
Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”
Twork said:
$LCID The rumors are completely false. The company has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year, as recently published in its last quarterly filings, and it has not formed any special Board committee to explore the scenarios reported today. Our focus is…
— Nick Twork (@ntwork) July 14, 2026
Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.
Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.
Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.
Tesla received a price target upgrade just on the heels of what was a crazy successful quarter for its automotive business, as the company reported a delivery beat of over 15 percent for Q2.
Jefferies analysts are upping Tesla’s price target (NASDAQ: TSLA) to $400 from $375, while maintaining their “Hold” rating on shares, and the strong automotive deliveries from Q2 is a big reason. However, there are some other catalysts that Jefferies believes position Tesla for a strong position in the second half of the year.
Strong Deliveries
Tesla reported 480,000 deliveries for Q2, while Wall Street was between 395,000 and 405,000, as an overall consensus. It was an incredibly strong quarter from a delivery perspective, and Tesla sold well more than it produced during the three months.
Tesla crushes Wall Street expectations, beats delivery estimates by over 15 percent
While vehicle deliveries are not necessarily looked at in the light that they used to be, Tesla still maintains a lot of advantages for keeping deliveries strong. With the loss of the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year, Tesla still maintains a strong demand case for its EVs.
Robotaxi Performance
Tesla has been operating Robotaxi for over a year now, as it launched in Austin in mid-2025. That program has expanded to Houston and Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and, most recently, Miami, Florida, the suite’s first appearance in the Sunshine State.
While the Robotaxi suite is still in its early phases and Tesla is working through things like fleet size and wait times, the company has been able to undercut the pricing of its competitors and has a great safety record.
Merger Speculation with Tesla and SpaceX
This is perhaps the biggest topic that many are speaking about with Tesla and SpaceX, and it is the one thing that seems to be on the mind of every investor.
Jefferies warns that growing talk of a Tesla-SpaceX merger could cause Tesla stock to trade more like a SpaceX proxy, which may disconnect it from underlying automotive fundamentals. SpaceX has a lot going for it, especially its compute deals that have been widely publicized as of late.
Profitability in New Projects Could Take Some Time
Tesla has a few long-term ventures in the pipeline, most notably the Optimus project and Robotaxi, which is launched but will take several years to expand to a meaningful level that resonates with everyday people.
This is something that investors need to be careful of. Tesla’s projects could take some time to round out, so Jefferies advises that these may carry initial losses, rather than immediate profit. Seasoned Tesla investors have echoed something like this for a long time; they knew going in it would not be an open-and-shut strategy. It was going to take time.
These new projects are no different.
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