News
Ford boasts over 167 percent growth in EV sales, announces Wal-Mart’s 1,100 E-Transit order
Ford released its January 2022 Sales Release, boasting some impressive figures in terms of electric vehicle sales. Ford states that its sales were up 167.2 percent in January compared to the same month in 2021. The growth is outpacing the industry average by almost four times, Ford said in its press release.
The Mustang Mach-E, currently Ford’s only available electric vehicle, accumulated 2,370 sales in January. The remaining sales can be attributed to the F-150 Lightning, whose Order Bank opened in January, finally allowing pre-orderers to finalize their trims and other options, and the E-Transit van.
Ford, who announced a massive $20 billion restructuring plan for its electric vehicle strategy, says its EV sales in January 2022 outpaced industry standards by “almost four times.”
“With a total of 13,169 vehicles sold, Ford electrified vehicles were up 167.2 percent, with share up 5.0 points to 10.9 percent of segment,” the company added. Ford also indicated that more than 300 businesses have put in orders for E-Transit vans. The most notable is Wal-Mart, which placed an order for 1,100 units of the E-Transit.
Update 5:34 PM EST: Wal-Mart reached out to comment on the story.
“Walmart placed an order for 1,100 Ford E-Transits that will be used to support our growing in-home delivery service. As we continue to build our last mile delivery fleet, we’re interested in working with electric van providers that help us achieve our goal of operating a 100% zero-emissions logistics fleet by 2040.”
Ford’s overall business saw just a 0.8 percent increase in overall retail sales. Truck sales actually declined, while SUV sales increased by 9.4 percent. Total sales of electrified vehicles increased by the 167.2 percent figure, while retail sales increased even more sharply. Ford reported 183.1 percent growth in this category.
If growth continues at this pace, Ford will need to prepare for a massive production ramp. CEO Jim Farley recently stated that he believes Ford will be one of the first to scale its EV lineup, vying to reach Tesla, who has gained mass notoriety as the industry leader. “We have to catch up,” Farley said in an interview with Grady Trimble in late January. “We’re going to do the investment in the product and capacity expansion and make vehicles as affordable as possible. We need the government’s help to make the switch to e-mobility through consumer incentives.”
Ford’s Farley commits to 600k units in 22 months: ‘I think we’re one of the first to scale’
The demand is not only coming from Ford’s EV program, unfortunately. Andrew Frick, Vice President of Sales for the U.S. and Canada, notes strong demand for several vehicles, including the Mustang Mach-E, contributed to the most successful months in terms of orders in company history. “Ford market share increased over a year ago on strong demand for our newest products such as Bronco, Maverick, and Mach-E,” Frick said. “Ford took in a record 90,000 new vehicle orders in January. Vehicles are turning at a record pace on dealer lots as we work to fill these orders. This year represents a turning point for Ford in electrified vehicles, as our electrified portfolio grew at nearly four times the rate of the industry segment, with E-Transit and F-150 Lightning set to hit the market.”
Ford will report its Earnings for Q4 and Full-Year 2021 tomorrow, February 3, at 4:05 PM EST. The company’s full January 2022 Sales Release is available below.
January 2022 Sales Release Final by Joey Klender on Scribd
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News
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands.
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.
Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun.
“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website.
This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
News
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month.
Tesla’s sales momentum in China strengthened in November, with wholesale volumes rising to 86,700 units, reversing a slowdown seen in October.
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month. This was partly driven by tightened delivery windows, targeted marketing, and buyers moving to secure vehicles before changes to national purchase tax incentives take effect.
Tesla’s November rebound coincided with a noticeable spike in Model Y interest across China. Delivery wait times extended multiple times over the month, jumping from an initial 2–5 weeks to estimated handovers in January and February 2026 for most five-seat variants. Only the six-seat Model Y L kept its 4–8 week estimated delivery timeframe.
The company amplified these delivery updates across its Chinese social media channels, urging buyers to lock in orders early to secure 2025 delivery slots and preserve eligibility for current purchase tax incentives, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Tesla also highlighted that new inventory-built Model Y units were available for customers seeking guaranteed handovers before December 31.
This combination of urgency marketing and genuine supply-demand pressure seemed to have helped boost November’s volumes, stabilizing what had been a year marked by several months of year-over-year declines.
For the January–November period, Tesla China recorded 754,561 wholesale units, an 8.30% decline compared to the same period last year. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory continues to operate as both a domestic production base and a major global export hub, building the Model 3 and Model Y for markets across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, among other territories.
Investor's Corner
Tesla bear gets blunt with beliefs over company valuation
Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.
“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Short, and was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”
Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation
For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.
Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.
While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.
Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.
In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.
Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.
It closed at $430.14 on Monday.
