

Investor's Corner
Tesla’s China factory can’t arrive soon enough amid escalating US-China trade war
Amidst the escalating trade war between the United States and China, American automakers such as Tesla have become the first victims of renewed, hefty tariffs on US-made products entering the country. In response to the 25% duties imposed by the United States government on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports last week, China has decided to strike back by placing a 40% levy on vehicles made in America.
The latest tariffs have forced Tesla to raise the prices of its Model S luxury sedan and its Model X SUV by 150,000 yuan ($22,647) to 250,000 yuan ($37,744). With the new duties in place, a fully-loaded Tesla Model S P100D now costs 1.47 million yuan ($221,937) in China, a far cry from the $147,000 price of the vehicle in the United States.
The latest tariffs come at a time when China implemented a reduction of its import duties for foreign-made vehicles from 20-25% to 15%. On the heels of the Chinese government’s announcement earlier this year, the response from Tesla’s customer base in the country was immediate. In Tesla’s Shanghai gallery alone, prospective buyers cleared out the store’s entire Model X 75D inventory in 24 hours after it was announced that the price of the vehicle would be reduced by $11,000 after the 15% tariffs were implemented.
While it is unfortunate to see the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and China once more affecting the prices of Tesla’s vehicles in the country, it is pertinent to note that even with hefty taxes placed on its electric cars, Tesla was fighting the good fight in China, and it was still thriving. The company, after all, established its presence and its reputation under an environment where its cars were priced far beyond its local competition.
Tesla’s story in China is one that showcases the learning curve that the California-based electric car and energy company continues to go through. Tesla began taking pre-orders for the Model S in China in August 2013. At that point in Tesla’s history, CEO Elon Musk was not even sure how much the production vehicle would cost. Deliveries were also expected to be eight months away. Anticipation among Chinese buyers, however, were high nonetheless, thanks to a combination of factors including Elon Musk’s rockstar status, as well as talks about the vehicle’s performance and supercar-worthy acceleration. Pre-orders for the Model S topped 5,000 that year.
Unfortunately, Tesla was not able to support these first Model S owners properly. Due to miscalculations on its business strategy, Tesla ended up with a lot of disgruntled Chinese owners. One Model S buyer even made national news after he smashed the windshield of his own Tesla after the car arrived months later than expected. To top it off, the Supercharger network, widely considered as Tesla’s ace in the electric car industry today, was still in its infancy then, and China only had a small system centered around key cities. Things changed, however, on January 2015, when Elon Musk flew to China and met with President Xi Jinping. Musk also admitted to Tesla’s “earlier mistakes,” stating that he was nonetheless “very optimistic” about the company’s chances in the country. Tesla also attended the Shanghai Auto Show, sparking more interest in its electric vehicles.
- Tesla’s grand opening of its Changsha, China store. [Credit: @vincent13031925/Twitter]
- Credit: Dennis Chang via Twitter
- Tesla’s grand opening of its Changsha, China store. [Credit: @vincent13031925/Twitter]
- Tesla’s grand opening of its Shenzhen, China store. [Credit: @vincent13031925/Twitter]
In the months that followed, Tesla expanded its Supercharger network, curbing the “range anxiety” of China’s electric car owners. Word-of-mouth about the company’s non-dealership sales model also started spreading. Tesla’s business in China experienced a massive boost when it introduced the Model X as well, considering the country’s obsession with SUVs. Government regulations, such as Shanghai’s electric-car friendly license plates gave even more benefits to Tesla. By the end of 2017, Tesla had already opened the largest Supercharger in the world in Shanghai. The company’s sales in the country in 2016 also helped boost its revenue enough to join the Fortune 500 list for the first time.
With Tesla’s history in mind, the renewed tariffs from the United States and China’s ongoing trade dispute could actually have little effect on Tesla’s overall operations in the country. The new duties will result in lost sales — that much is a given — but Tesla’s pedigree as a luxury automaker that makes cars that are the ultimate status symbols in China remain undaunted.

Tesla’s approval for its China site from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. [Credit: vincent13031925/Twitter]
Tesla, after all, has not really started its mass market push in China. The Model 3 and the Model Y, the company’s two vehicles that are targeted to dominate in the midrange segment, have not arrived in the country as of yet. With Elon Musk confirming during the Q1 2018 earnings call that the next Gigafactory will be in China, and that the facility will incorporate vehicle production, the solely-owned factory should allow Tesla to avoid the import taxes imposed on its upcoming, more budget-friendly vehicles — trade war or no trade war.
Tesla’s China Gigafactory is expected to be the site where the electric car maker will manufacture the Model Y crossover SUV, as well as some of the Model 3. Both vehicles are targeted towards the mass-market, with Tesla estimating that the Model Y could see a demand of up to 1 million vehicles per year. With the Model Y and Model 3, Tesla could compete in China not only in the luxury segment, but on the more lucrative and more competitive midrange market as well. For now, however, Tesla’s efforts to establish its own factory in China seems to be going well, with the company being granted a final approval for its solely-owned electric car facility by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Elon Musk
Tesla called ‘biggest meme stock we’ve ever seen’ by Yale associate dean

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is being called “the biggest meme stock we’ve ever seen” by Yale School of Management Senior Associate Dean Jeff Sonnenfeld, who made the comments in a recent interview with CNBC.
Sonnenfeld’s comments echo those of many of the company’s skeptics, who argue that its price-to-earnings ratio is far too high when compared to other companies also in the tech industry. Tesla is often compared to companies like Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft when these types of discussions come up.
Fundamentally, yes, Tesla does trade at a P/E level that is significantly above that of any comparable company.
However, it is worth mentioning that Tesla is not traded like a typical company, either.
Here’s what Sonnenfeld said regarding Tesla:
“This is the biggest meme stock we’ve ever seen. Even at its peak, Amazon was nowhere near this level. The PE on this, well above 200, is just crazy. When you’ve got stocks like Nvidia, the price-earnings ratio is around 25 or 30, and Apple is maybe 35 or 36, Microsoft around the same. I mean, this is way out of line to be at a 220 PE. It’s crazy, and they’ve, I think, put a little too much emphasis on the magic wand of Musk.”
Many analysts have admitted in the past that they believe Tesla is an untraditional stock in the sense that many analysts trade it based on narrative and not fundamentals. Ryan Brinkman of J.P. Morgan once said:
“Tesla shares continue to strike us as having become completely divorced from the fundamentals.”
Dan Nathan, another notorious skeptic of Tesla shares, recently turned bullish on the stock because of “technicals and sentiment.” He said just last week:
“I think from a trading perspective, it looks very interesting.”
Nathan said Tesla shares show signs of strength moving forward, including holding its 200-day moving average and holding against current resistance levels.
Sonnenfeld’s synopsis of Tesla shares points out that there might be “a little too much emphasis on the magic wand of Musk.”
Elon Musk just bought $1 billion in Tesla stock, his biggest purchase ever
This could refer to different things: perhaps his recent $1 billion stock buy, which sent the stock skyrocketing, or the fact that many Tesla investors are fans and owners who do not buy and sell on numbers, but rather on news that Musk might report himself.
Tesla is trading around $423.76 at the time of publication, as of 3:25 p.m. on the East Coast.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk affirms Tesla commitment and grueling work schedule: “Daddy is very much home”
The remarks came as Tesla shares crossed the $400 mark on the stock market.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterated his commitment to the electric vehicle maker and its future projects this week, responding to speculation following his $1 billion purchase of TSLA stock.
The remarks came as Tesla shares crossed the $400 mark on the stock market, extending a rally fueled in part by Musk’s TSLA purchase.
Elon Musk’s nonstop work schedule
Amidst the reaction of TSLA stock to Musk’s $1 billion investment, Tesla owners such as @greggertruck noted that “Daddy’s home.” Musk replied, stating that “Daddy is very much home.” He then shared details of a packed weekend of work, which was definitely grueling but completely within character for a “wartime CEO.”
Musk did note, however, that he had lunch with his kids during the weekend despite his extremely busy schedule.
“Daddy is very much home. Am burning the midnight oil with Optimus engineering on Friday night, then redeye overnight to Austin arriving 5am, wake up to have lunch with my kids and then spend all Saturday afternoon in deep technical reviews for the Tesla AI5 chip design.
“Fly to Colossus II on Monday to walk the whole datacenter floor, review transformers and power production (excellent progress), depart midnight. Then up to 12 hours of back-to-back meetings across all Tesla departments, but with a particular focus on AI/Autopilot, Optimus production plans, and vehicle production/delivery,” Musk wrote in his post.
Wartime CEO
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives described Musk as operating in “wartime CEO mode,” highlighting autonomous driving and AI as a trillion-dollar market opportunity for Tesla. Musk reiterated this point late last month as well, when he outlined the several projects he is juggling among his numerous companies. At the time, Musk stated that he was busy with Starship 10, Grok 5, and Tesla V14. This was despite his notable presence on X.
With Tesla Master Plan Part IV being partly released, the company is entering what could very well be its most ambitious stage to date. To usher in an era of sustainable abundance, Tesla would definitely require a “wartime CEO,” someone who could remain locked in and determined to push through any obstacles to ensure that the company achieves its goals.
Elon Musk
Tesla analyst says Musk stock buy should send this signal to investors
“With Musk’s (Tesla stock) purchase, combined with the upward momentum for delivery expectations and robotaxi rollout, we are becoming more bullish.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk purchased roughly $1 billion in Tesla shares on Friday, and analysts are now breaking down the move as the stock is headed upward.
One of them is William Blair analyst Jed Dorsheimer, who said in a new note to investors on Monday that Musk’s move should send a signal of confidence to stock buyers, especially considering the company’s numerous catalysts that currently exist.
Elon Musk just bought $1 billion in Tesla stock, his biggest purchase ever
Dorsheimer said in the note:
“With Musk’s (Tesla stock) purchase, combined with the upward momentum for delivery expectations and robotaxi rollout, we are becoming more bullish. This purchase is Musk’s first buy since 2020. To us, this sends a strong signal of confidence in the most important part of Tesla’s future business, robotaxi.”
Musk putting an additional $1 billion back into the company in the form of more stock ownership is obviously a huge vote of confidence.
He knows more than anyone about the progress Tesla has made and is making on the Robotaxi platform, as well as the company’s ongoing efforts to solve vehicle autonomy. If he’s buying stock, it is more than likely a good sign.
Tesla has continued to expand its Robotaxi platform in a number of ways. The project has gotten bigger in terms of service area, vehicle fleet, and testing population. Tesla has also recently received a permit to test in Nevada, unlocking the potential to expand into a brand-new state for the company.
In the note, Dorsheimer also touched on Musk’s recent pay package, revealing that William Blair recently met with Tesla’s Board of Directors, who gave the firm some more color on the situation:
“We recently participated in a meeting with Tesla’s board of directors to discuss the details of Musk’s performance package. The board is confident of its position in the Delaware case and anticipates a verdict by end of year. It does not expect a similar situation to occur under new Texas jurisdiction. Musk has the board’s full support, and we expect he’ll get more than enough shareholder support for this to pass with flying colors.”
Tesla stock is up over 6 percent so far today, trading at $421.50 at the time of publication.
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