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Tesla investors post questions for TSLA Q4 and FY 2023 earnings call

Credit: Tesla Asia/X

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Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 earnings call is less than a week away, and investors are already submitting questions for the event’s Q&A session.

Similar to past earnings calls, Tesla is gathering inquiries from both retail and institutional TSLA shareholders using investor communications platform Say. As of writing, Say’s webpage for the Tesla Q4 and FY 2023 earnings call features a variety of questions, spanning topics from the next-generation vehicle, Giga Mexico’s construction, and Cybertruck reservation numbers, to automotive gross margins and Elon Musk’s social media posts about his compensation plan

Following are the top ten questions from TSLA retail investors that are currently listed in Say: 

  1. Given that you moved the start of the next-generation compact vehicle production to Austin, has the timeline improved so that we might see next-generation platform vehicles in 2025? 
  2. Mr. Musk has asked for a 25% stake in Tesla. Will the BOD consider a share buyback to help archive this? And if so, what would that dollar amount look like?
  3. How many Cybertruck orders are in the queue, and when do you anticipate you will be able to fulfill all existing orders? 
  4. When will Tesla start construction on the Giga Nevada expansion and Giga Mexico, and when can we expect each of these to produce their first products, such as 4680, Semi, and next-gen vehicles? 
  5. What has been the barrier to ramping 4680 cells into the multi-million cells per week rate, and when do you expect to get there? 
  6. When will Optimus be deployed in Tesla’s Gigafactories? 
  7. What are Tesla’s biggest priorities for 2024? 
  8. When will you ramp to mass production of the Semi, and what are the barriers to getting there? 
  9. When will FSD V12 roll out to the public? 
  10. Why don’t you offer tiered pricing for FSD? Take-up rates would significantly increase if you reduced the price for those who are intending to use (FSD) for solely personal use. You can charge a higher rate for robotaxi/commercial use in the future when available.

Following are five questions from TSLA institutional investors that are currently aggregated by Say: 

  1. What is your expectation for automotive gross margins (excluding regulatory credits) for the full year? 
  2. Does the company anticipate a 50% volume CAGR to be realized in either of 2024 or 2025? If not, why not? 
  3. Can you please speak to the economics and attach rate of Autobidder. This is now making significant trading profit for customers. How does Tesla share in that value? 
  4. Instead of a new equity compensation plan, could Tesla acquire X, X.ai, and/or SpaceX in order to bring additional AI expertise into Tesla while increasing Elon’s voting control of the business? 
  5. In light of recent residual value declines vs. the potential for future asset price appreciation with FSD, should Tesla repurchase all used Tesla vehicles outside its existing inventory?

Tesla is expected to hold its Q4 and FY 2023 earnings call on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. Central Time / 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Tesla executives such as CEO Elon Musk are expected to be part of the call. 

Do you have questions that you would like to address to Tesla? Here’s a link to Say’s webpage for the Tesla Q4 and FY 2023 earnings call so you can share your inquiry.

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Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Investor's Corner

Lucid CEO dispels any rumors of bankruptcy: ‘So far from the facts’

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Credit: Lucid

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 denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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Investor's Corner

Lucid denies rumors of bankruptcy after over 40% stock drop

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Credit: Lucid

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:

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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.

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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.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla gets price target upgrade on heels of crazy successful auto quarter

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(Credit: Tesla)

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

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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.

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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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