

Investor's Corner
Elon Musk reveals first Tesla Model 3 Performance in new assembly line at Fremont
Elon Musk has announced that the first Model 3 Performance Dual Motor has rolled off Tesla’s new assembly line. Musk’s update comes roughly a month after Tesla opened orders for the high-performance version of the compact electric car.
The Model 3 Performance was initially expected for July. In a series of tweets back in April, Musk stated that the Performance and the Dual Motor AWD variant of the vehicle would likely be introduced in July. The popular white seats option — another highly-anticipated feature for the Model 3 — was teased for a July release as well. According to Musk’s tweet, however, the Tesla team was able to set up a new Model 3 assembly line in just three weeks with “minimal resources.”
Amazing work by Tesla team. Built entire new general assembly line in 3 weeks w minimal resources. Love u guys so much! Pic of 1st Model 3 dual motor performance coming off the line … pic.twitter.com/Xr55P3fmGd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 16, 2018
Part of the mystery behind the Model 3 Performance’s production line is exactly where general assembly of the vehicle is being conducted. While not yet officially announced, the tent-like structure at the background of the Model 3 Performance in Musk’s tweet seems to directly correspond to a seemingly growing structure that was spotted in satellite images of the Fremont factory over the past few weeks. The progress in the structure’s construction could be seen in the following pictures from Building Tesla.
- A satellite image of Tesla’s Fremont factory as of June 16, 2018. [Credit: Building Tesla]
- A satellite image of Tesla’s Fremont factory as of June 3, 2018. [Credit: Building Tesla]
The fact that Tesla is already starting the production of the Model 3 Performance bodes well for the company’s capability to manufacture the compact electric car in volume. Musk, after all, has previously noted on Twitter that Tesla would only start manufacturing the Model 3 Performance and the Dual Motor AWD variant once the company is already producing the electric cars at a pace equivalent to 5,000 vehicles per week. Back in the 2018 Annual Shareholder Meeting, Musk announced that Tesla is producing 500 Model 3 per day, or 3,500 Model 3 per week. A recently-leaked email from Elon Musk, however, suggested that the company is now targeting a pace of 700 Model 3 per day, which equates to 4,900 vehicles per week, just 100 cars shy of its goal of producing 5,000 Model 3 per week by the end of Q2 2018.
The Tesla Model 3 Performance is the top-tier variant of the compact electric car. Fitted with an AC induction motor in the front and a partial permanent magnet motor in the rear, the Model 3 Performance is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. The vehicle also has a top speed of 155 mph and a range of 310 miles per charge. The white seats option will also be available for the Model 3 Performance only, at least until Tesla fully optimizes its production line. The Model 3 Performance, with all options except Autopilot, is available for $78,000, making it a bit pricier than the Model S 75D, which starts at $74,500.
The Model 3 Performance is set to deliver formidable performance, however. According to Musk, the Model 3 Performance would be 15% faster than a BMW M3 on the track. Musk has also teased that there’s a chance that the high-performance variant of the Model 3 would see an even higher power output than initially announced.
Configuration emails for the Model 3 Performance are now rolling out to reservation holders. Musk has also announced that the Model 3 Performance will be designated as test drive vehicles in Tesla stores within the coming weeks.
Investor's Corner
Goldman Sachs reduces Tesla price target to $285
Despite Goldman Sach’s NASDAQ: TSLA price cut to $285, Tesla boasts $95.7B in revenue & nearly $1T market cap.

Goldman Sachs analysts cut Tesla’s price target to $285 from $295, maintaining a Neutral rating.
The adjustment reflects weaker sales performance across key markets, with Tesla shares trading at $284.70, down nearly 18% in the past week. The analysts pointed to declining sales data in the United States, Europe, and China as the primary driver for the revised outlook. In the U.S., Tesla’s quarter-to-date deliveries through May fell mid-teens year-over-year, according to Wards and Motor Intelligence.
In Europe, April registrations plummeted 50% year-over-year, with May showing a mid-20% decline, per industry data. Meanwhile, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) reported a 20% year-over-year drop in May, despite a 5.5% sequential increase from April. Consumer surveys from HundredX and Morning Consult also shaped Goldman Sachs’ lowered delivery and EPS forecasts.
Goldman Sachs now projects Tesla’s second-quarter deliveries to range between 335,000 and 395,000 vehicles, with a base case of 365,000, down from a prior estimate of 410,000 and below the Visible Alpha Consensus of 417,000. Despite these headwinds, Tesla’s financials remain strong, with $95.7 billion in trailing twelve-month revenue and a $917 billion market capitalization.
Regionally, Tesla’s challenges are stark. In Germany, the German road traffic agency KBA reported Tesla’s May sales dropped 36.2% year-over-year, despite a 44.9% surge in overall electric vehicle registrations. Tesla’s sales fell 29% last month in Spain, according to the ANFAC industry group. These declines highlight shifting consumer preferences amid growing competition.
On a positive note, Tesla is making strategic moves. The Model 3 and Model Y are part of a Chinese government campaign to boost rural sales, potentially mitigating losses. Piper Sandler analysts reiterated an Overweight rating, emphasizing Tesla’s supply chain strategy.
Alexander Potter stated, “Thanks to vertical integration, Tesla is the only car company that is trying to source batteries, at scale, without relying on China.”
As Tesla navigates these delivery challenges, its focus on innovation and supply chain resilience could help it maintain its edge in the electric vehicle market despite short-term hurdles.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk explains Tesla’s domestic battery strategy
Elon Musk responded to a new note from an analyst that highlighted Tesla’s battery strategy.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained the automaker’s strategy for building batteries from top to bottom in a domestic setting as the company continues to alleviate its reliance on Chinese materials, something other companies are too dependent on.
With the Trump Administration, it is no secret that the prioritization of U.S.-built products, including sourcing most of the materials from American companies, is at the forefront of its strategy.
The goal is to become less dependent on foreign products, which would, in theory, bolster the U.S. economy by creating more jobs and having less reliance on foreign markets, especially China, to manufacture the key parts of things like cars and tech.
In a note from Alexander Potter, an analyst for the firm Piper Sandler, Tesla’s strategy regarding batteries specifically is broken down.
Potter says Tesla is “the only car company that is trying to source batteries, at scale, without relying on China.”
He continues:
“Eventually, Tesla will be making its own cathode active materials, refining its own lithium, building its own anodes, coating its own electrodes, assembling its own cells, and selling its own cars; No other US company can make similar claims.”
Musk, who spent time within the Trump White House through his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said that Tesla is doing the “important” work of localizing supply chains as the risks that come with being too dependent on foreign entities could be detrimental to a company, especially one that utilizes many parts and supplies that are manufactured mostly in China.
It is important, albeit extremely hard work, to localize supply chains to mitigate geopolitical risk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 3, 2025
Tesla has done a lot of work to source and even manufacture its own batteries within the United States, a project that has been in progress for several years but will pay dividends in the end.
According to a 2023 Nikkei analysis, Tesla’s battery material suppliers were dominated by Chinese companies. At the time, a whopping 39 percent of the company’s cell materials came from Chinese companies.
This number is decreasing as it operates its own in-house cell and material production projects, like its lithium refinery in Texas.
It also wants to utilize battery manufacturers that have plans to build cells in the U.S.
Panasonic, for example, is building a facility in Kansas that will help Tesla utilize domestically-manufactured cells for its cars.
Elon Musk
Tesla stock: Morgan Stanley says eVTOL is calling Elon Musk for new chapter
Could Tesla dive into the eVTOL market? Morgan Stanley takes a look.

Tesla shares are up nearly 20 percent in the past month, but that is not stopping the only trillion-dollar automaker from attracting all types of new potential sectors to disrupt, at least from an investor and analyst perspective.
Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas is not one to shy away from some ideas that many investors would consider far-fetched. In a recent note, Jonas brought up some interesting discussion regarding Tesla’s potential in the eVTOL industry, and how he believes CEO Elon Musk’s answer was not convincing enough to put it off altogether.
Tesla’s Elon Musk says electric planes would be ‘fun problem to work on’
Musk said that Tesla was “stretched pretty thin” when a question regarding a plane being developed came up. Jonas said:
“In our opinion, that’s a decidedly different type of answer. Is Tesla an aviation/defense-tech company in auto/consumer clothing?”
Musk has been pretty clear about things that Tesla won’t do. Although he has not unequivocally denied aviation equipment, including planes and drones, as he has with things like motorcycles, it does not seem like something that is on Musk’s mind.
Instead, he has focused the vast majority of his time at Tesla on vehicle autonomy, AI, and robotics, things he sees as the future.
Tesla and China, Robotics, Pricing
Morgan Stanley’s note also discussed Tesla’s prowess in its various areas of expertise, how it will keep up with Chinese competitors, as there are several, and the race for affordable EVs in the country.
Tesla is the U.S.’s key to keeping up with China
“In our view, Tesla’s expertise in manufacturing, data collection, robotics/ physical AI, energy, supply chain, and infrastructure are more critical than ever before to put the US on an even footing with China in embodied AI,” Jonas writes.
It is no secret that Tesla is the leader in revolutionizing things. To generalize, the company has truly dipped its finger in all the various pies, but it is also looked at as a leader in tech, which is where Chinese companies truly have an advantage.
Robotics and the ‘Humanoid Olympics’
Jonas mentioned China’s recent showcasing of robots running half marathons and competing in combat sports as “gamification of robotic innovation.”
Tesla could be at the forefront of the effort to launch something similar, as the analyst predicts the U.S. version could be called “Humanoid Ninja Warrior.”
Pricing
Tesla is set to launch affordable models before the end of Q2, leaving this month for the company to release some details.
While the pricing of those models remains in limbo with the $7,500 tax credit likely disappearing at the end of 2024, companies in China have been able to tap incredibly aggressive pricing models. Jonas, for example, brings up the BYD Seagull, which is priced at just about $8,000.
Tesla can tap into an incredibly broader market if it can manage to bring pricing to even below $30,000, which is where many hope the affordable models end up.
During the Q3 2024 Earnings Call, Musk said that $30,000 is where it would be with the tax credit:
“Yeah. It will be like with incentive. So, 30K, which is kind of a key threshold.”
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