News
GM initiates $10B share buyback & updates 2023 guidance to boost Wall Street’s confidence
General Motors (GM) is taking bold moves to regain Wall Street’s confidence after weeks of strikes and negotiating with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The legacy automaker is ensuring it kicks off the new year with a few investor-focused initiatives.
Coming straight from the negotiating table to the accounting table, GM CEO Mary Barra shared that the company is finalizing a budget for 2024, considering the contents of GM’s agreement with the UAW. Barra stated that the finalized budgies would “fully offset the incremental costs of our new labor agreements, and the long-term plan we are executing includes reducing the capital intensity of the business, developing products even more efficiently, and further reducing our fixed and variable costs.”
GM Share Buyback Plan
General Motors intended to initiate an accelerated $10 billion share buyback plan executed by Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Barclays, and Citibank. The total number of shares repurchased will be determined at the end of the program. The $10 billion share buyback will start in the fourth quarter.
The auto company will receive and retire $6.8 billion worth of common stock. GM predicts it will have $1.4 billion of capacity remaining under its share repurchase authorization that it will use for “additional, opportunistic share repurchases.”
Besides rolling out a massive share repurchase program, General Motors is also increasing its quarterly dividend in 2024. GM aims to increase quarterly dividend by 33% to 12% per share.
-->GM 2023 Guidance
General Motors is rolling with the punches as it closes the year by reinstating its 2023 guidance. The automaker initially pulled its guidance after publishing its Q3 2023 report, mentioning the UAW strike.
“Because of this uncertainty, we’ve chosen to withdraw our 2023 full-year guidance metrics, even though our strong underlying business fundamentals were pushing us towards the upper half of the range prior to any strike impact,” GM CFO Paul Jacobson
The Detroit automaker believes its 2023 capital spending will be between $11.0 and $11.5 billion, down from the $11 and $12 billion estimate before the strike. The company’s 2023 capital spending estimates are primarily driven by some new product delays and a pullback on some investments related to electric vehicles.
GM’s updated 2023 guidance also includes the following:
- Net income attributable to stockholders is $9.1 billion to $9.7 billion, compared to a previous outlook of $9.3 billion to $10.7 billion.
- Adjusted EBIT of $11.7 billion to $12.7 billion, compared to the previous outlook of $12.0 billion to $14.0 billion.
- Adjusted earnings per share are roughly $7.20 to $7.70, including the stock buyback, compared to the previous outlook of $7.15 to $8.15.
- EPS in the $6.52 to $7.02 range, including the stock buyback, compared to the previous outlook of $6.54 to $7.54
- Adjusted automotive free cash flow of $10.5 billion to $11.5 billion, compared to the previous outlook of $7.0 billion to $9.0 billion
- Net automotive cash provided by operating activities of $19.5 billion to $21.0 billion, compared to the previous outlook of $17.4 billion to $20.4 billion
The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101.
Elon Musk
SpaceX’s Starship program is already bouncing back from Booster 18 fiasco
Just over a week since Booster 18 met its untimely end, SpaceX is now busy stacking Booster 19, and at a very rapid pace, too.
SpaceX is already bouncing back from the fiasco that it experienced during Starship Booster 18’s initial tests earlier this month.
Just over a week since Booster 18 met its untimely end, SpaceX is now busy stacking Booster 19, and at a very rapid pace, too.
Starship V3 Booster 19 is rising
As per Starbase watchers on X, SpaceX rolled out the fourth aft section of Booster 19 to Starbase’s MegaBay this weekend, stacking it to reach 15 rings tall with just a few sections remaining. This marks the fastest booster assembly to date at four sections in five days. This is quite impressive, and it bodes well for SpaceX’s Starship V3 program, which is expected to be a notable step up from the V2 program, which was retired after a flawless Flight 11.
Starship watcher TankWatchers noted the tempo on X, stating, “During the night the A4 section of Booster 19 rolled out to the MegaBay. With 4 sections in just 5 days, this is shaping up to be the fastest booster stack ever.” Fellow Starbase watcher TestFlight echoed the same sentiments. “Booster 19 is now 15 rings tall, with 3 aft sections remaining!” the space enthusiast wrote.
Aggressive targets despite Booster 18 fiasco
SpaceX’s V3 program encountered a speed bump earlier this month when Booster 18, just one day after rolling out into the factory, experienced a major anomaly during gas system pressure testing at SpaceX’s Massey facility in Starbase, Texas. While no propellant was loaded, no engines were installed, and no one was injured in the incident, the unexpected end of Booster 18 sparked speculation that the Starship V3 program could face delays.
-->Despite the Booster 18 fiasco, however, SpaceX announced that “Starship’s twelfth flight test remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026.” Elon Musk shared a similar timeline on X earlier this year, with the CEO stating that “ V3 is a massive upgrade from the current V2 and should be through production and testing by end of year, with heavy flight activity next year.”
Considering that Booster 19 seems to be moving through its production phases quickly, perhaps SpaceX’s Q1 2026 target for Flight 12 might indeed be more than feasible.
News
Elon Musk makes a key Tesla Optimus detail official
“Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote on X.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk just made a key detail about Optimus official. In a post on X, the CEO clarified some key wording about Optimus, which should help the media and the public become more familiar with the humanoid robot.
Elon Musk makes Optimus’ plural term official
Elon Musk posted a number of Optimus-related posts on X this weekend. On Saturday, he stated that Optimus would be the Von Neumann probe, a machine that could eventually be capable of replicating itself. This capability, it seems, would be the key to Tesla achieving Elon Musk’s ambitious Optimus production targets.
Amidst the conversations about Optimus on X, a user of the social media platform asked the CEO what the plural term for the humanoid robot will be. As per Musk, Tesla will be setting the plural term for Optimus since the company also decided on the robot’s singular term. “Since we are naming the singular, we will also name the plural, so Optimi it is,” Musk wrote in his reply on X.
This makes it official. For media outlets such as Teslarati, numerous Optimus bots are now called Optimi. It rolls off the tongue pretty well, too.
Optimi will be a common sight worldwide
While Musk’s comment may seem pretty mundane to some, it is actually very important. Optimus is intended to be Tesla’s highest volume product, with the CEO estimating that the humanoid robot could eventually see annual production rates in the hundreds of millions, perhaps even more. Since Optimi will be a very common sight worldwide, it is good that people can now get used to terms describing the humanoid robot.
-->During the Tesla 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk stated that the humanoid robot will see “the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever,” starting with a one-million-Optimi-per-year production line at the Fremont Factory. Giga Texas would get an even bigger Optimus production line, which should be capable of producing tens of millions of Optimi per year.
News
Tesla is improving Giga Berlin’s free “Giga Train” service for employees
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
Tesla will expand its factory shuttle service in Germany beginning January 4, adding direct rail trips from Berlin Ostbahnhof to Giga Berlin-Brandenburg in Grünheide.
With this initiative, Tesla aims to boost the number of Gigafactory Berlin employees commuting by rail while keeping the shuttle free for all riders.
New shuttle route
As noted in a report from rbb24, the updated service, which will start January 4, will run between the Berlin Ostbahnhof East Station and the Erkner Station at the Gigafactory Berlin complex. Tesla stated that the timetable mirrors shift changes for the facility’s employees, and similar to before, the service will be completely free. The train will offer six direct trips per day as well.
“The service includes six daily trips, which also cover our shift times. The trains will run between Berlin Ostbahnhof (with a stop at Ostkreuz) and Erkner station to the Gigafactory,” Tesla Germany stated.
Even with construction continuing at Fangschleuse and Köpenick stations, the company said the route has been optimized to maintain a predictable 35-minute travel time. The update follows earlier phases of Tesla’s “Giga Train” program, which initially connected Erkner to the factory grounds before expanding to Berlin-Lichtenberg.
-->Tesla pushes for majority rail commuting
Tesla began production at Grünheide in March 2022, and the factory’s workforce has since grown to around 11,500 employees, with an estimated 60% commuting from Berlin. The facility produces the Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, for both Germany and other territories.
The company has repeatedly emphasized its goal of having more than half its staff use public transportation rather than cars, positioning the shuttle as a key part of that initiative. In keeping with the factory’s sustainability focus, Tesla continues to allow even non-employees to ride the shuttle free of charge, making it a broader mobility option for the area.
Tesla Model Y is still China’s best-selling premium EV through October
SpaceX’s Starship program is already bouncing back from Booster 18 fiasco
