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Investor's Corner

Rivian leads EV startups into worrying earnings week

Credit: Rivian

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Rivian, Lucid, Fisker, and Nikola, will be reporting earnings this upcoming week, and they aren’t expected to deliver great news.

If it isn’t eminently obvious by now, entering the automotive industry is not an easy task. The incredibly high production cost and the typically slim margins associated with the industry mean that it is one of the most Darwinian market segments on the planet. Now, as Rivian and many other EV startups prepare to deliver Q1 earnings reports this week, the difficulty of market entrance will be on full display.

Rivian has become a clear leader in the EV startup segment thanks to its production capabilities and massive cash reserves that have allowed the business to progress despite its negative cash flow. According to Reuters, Rivian is expected to report a relatively modest 6.8% drop in cash reserves during Q1, down from roughly $12 billion in Q4 last year to $10.78 billion by the end of Q1. Rivian’s CFO maintains that the business is on track to achieve profitability by the second half of 2024.

Luckily for Rivian enthusiasts, the automaker’s dedication to cost-cutting and its continued production growth puts it on the right financial track, but it isn’t all good news. Rivian has recently stopped reporting reservation numbers, which hasn’t helped the company’s stock which has fallen by more than 90% since its IPO. Moreover, with the electric truck and SUV segment getting more competitive by the quarter, Rivian’s market moat has shrunk dramatically.

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Following Rivian, Nikola and Fisker are expected to report similar percentage drops in cash reserves, approximately down 5%, and 15%, respectively. Taking a far more substantial blow to its wallet, Lucid is expected to report a massive 36% drop in cash reserves, which could put the company on track for financial trouble in the near future.

While none of the most well-known EV startups are performing exceptionally, some are performing far worse than others. This includes Lordstown Motors, which could be forced to file for bankruptcy shortly after reporting a production halt late this week. Similarly, electric van maker Arrival and Faraday Future have issued recent financial health warnings.

William does not own stock in any of the companies mentioned above.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

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Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Elon Musk

Tesla bull Wedbush responds to Q1 deliveries: ‘A disaster on every metric’

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Credit: diagnosticdennis/Instagram and @smile__no via Tesla Owners of Santa Clarita Valley/X

Tesla bull Wedbush has responded to the company’s lackluster Q1 delivery figures, which were released on Wednesday morning in a new note from analyst Dan Ives.

Tesla reported deliveries of 336,681 vehicles in the first quarter of the year, a far cry from the Wall Street estimate of 352,000 and whisper numbers of roughly 350,000. At first glance, it seems to be a disaster, but Tesla said it lost “several weeks of production” in Q1 due to the ramp of the new Model Y at all four of its vehicle production factories.

Tesla (TSLA) reports 336,681 vehicle deliveries for Q1 2025

This could be part of the reason that the company experienced a quarter of this performance, but there are also factors stemming from CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government, which has created some pushback in various markets.

It’s tough to say how much of each issue caused this type of quarter, but Ives wrote in a note to investors that Wedbush could not look at this “with rose-colored glasses,” as the performance “was a disaster on every metric.”

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Ives believes it is time for Musk to make a move:

“The Street and us knew a bad 1Q was coming but this was even worse than expected. The time has come for Musk….it’s a fork in the road moment. The more political he gets with DOGE the more the brand suffers, there is no debate. This quarter was an example of the damage Musk is causing Tesla. This continues to be a moment of truth for Musk to navigate this brand tornado crisis moment and get onto the other side of this dark chapter for Tesla with much better days ahead.”

Interestingly, the stock dropped over 5 percent after the delivery report. It quickly rebounded 8 percent and is currently up over 5 percent on the day after a report from Politico stated that Musk and President Donald Trump have discussed the CEO stepping back from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Based on that, it seems that investors were looking for Musk to step back from his government duties and show more public attention to Tesla. Realistically, we do not know how much of his time is being devoted to Tesla and its EV initiative. However, it seems investors were ready to hear something along the lines of Musk being more involved and speaking openly about Tesla and its projects.

It’s not all bad. Ives still recognizes Tesla’s prowess with the rollout of robotaxi and Full Self-Driving and how much impact it could have moving forward:

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“Autonomous remains the biggest transformation to the auto industry in modern-day history and in our view, Tesla will own the autonomous market in the US and globally with the launch of unsupervised FSD in Austin kicking off the autonomous era at Tesla that we value at $1 trillion alone on a sum-of-the-parts valuation…”

With that being said, he also wants Musk to balance responsibilities with DOGE and Tesla:

“BUT…Musk needs to stop this political firestorm and balance being CEO of Tesla with DOGE. The future is so bright but this is a full blown crisis Tesla is navigating now and its primarily self-inflected. We remain firmly bullish on the long-term Tesla story but Musk needs to get his act together or else unfortunately darker times are ahead for Tesla.”

Tesla shares are trading at $283.01, up 5.42% at 1:57 p.m. on the East Coast.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla (TSLA) shares date for “Company Update” and Q1 2025 earnings call

Tesla seems to be planning something slightly different for the upcoming event.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has announced the date for its upcoming first quarter 2025 earnings call. 

Interestingly enough, the company seems to be planning something slightly different for the upcoming event.

Tesla Q1 2025 Earnings Call Date

As shared by Tesla in its Q1 2025 vehicle production and delivery report, the company would be holding its first-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. Central Time / 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Similar to past earnings calls, the event will be livestreamed. An archived version of the session would also be shared on the company’s website.

Prior to the earnings call, Tesla will be releasing its Q1 2025 Update Letter. The Q1 2025 Update Letter will be released after markets close on April 22.

A Company Update

Tesla enthusiasts and TSLA bulls have observed that the electric vehicle maker adjusted its wording a bit in its Q1 2025 vehicle delivery and production report. As could be seen in the release, Tesla noted that it would also be holding a “Company Update” on April 22. This is the first time that such an event has been referenced by the electric vehicle maker with its quarterly earnings call.

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“In addition to posting first quarter results, Tesla management will hold a live company update and question and answer webcast that day,” Tesla wrote in its Q1 2025 vehicle delivery and production report. Tesla also referenced a “Company Update” in a post on its official X account.

Expectations are high that Tesla will discuss some of its highly anticipated projects during its Company Update. These may include, among other things, new affordable vehicles that were mentioned in the Q4 and Full Year 2024 Update Letter.

“Plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025. These vehicles will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line-up,” Tesla wrote.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla (TSLA) reports 336,681 vehicle deliveries for Q1 2025

The report was published on the company’s Investor Relations website.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has released its first quarter 2025 vehicle delivery and production report. 

The report was published on the company’s Investor Relations website

Q1 2025 Deliveries

In the first quarter, Tesla delivered a total of 336,681 vehicles globally. This is comprised of 323,800 Model 3 and Model Y, as well as 12,881 units of Tesla’s other models.

In comparison, Tesla’s company-compiled consensus indicated that analysts were expecting 377,592 vehicle deliveries for Q1 2025. FactSet estimates were even more optimistic, with analysts expecting vehicle deliveries of 407,900 units in the first quarter. 

Q1 2025 Production 

Tesla produced a total of 362,615 vehicles in the first quarter across its factories globally. From this number, a total of 345,454 units were comprised of the Model 3 and Model Y, and 17,161 were comprised of the company’s other models. 

In its Q1 2025 vehicle production and delivery report, Tesla noted that the changeover of its Model Y lines across Gigafactory Texas, Fremont Factory, Gigafactory Shanghai, and Gigafactory Berlin, led to the loss of several weeks’ worth of production in the quarter. The vehicle, however, is now being ramped. 

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TSLA Reaction

While Tesla missed analysts’ expectations, investors do not seem to be too disappointed. As per writing, TSLA stock is just down 1.87% at $263.43 per share.

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