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Tesla price target cut by Morgan Stanley

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Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) price target was cut by Morgan Stanley, a firm that has had a bullish outlook on the automaker’s stock for several years.

In a new note to investors released this morning, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas reduced the firm’s price target to $320 from $345, with the main thesis of the writing being concerned with EV demand.

“EV demand continues to decelerate despite continued price cuts,” Jonas wrote. “Fleets are dumping EVs and strong hybrid momentum is competing for the marginal EV buyer. Could Tesla lose money (sometime) this year?”

Jonas makes several points throughout the note, including Tesla’s aging product lineup, oversupply in key markets, and increasing demand for hybrids.

Tesla’s Aging Product Lineup

We have discussed this point of view in the past, and it’s hard to agree with it. While Tesla has had the same four vehicles in its lineup for several years now, the automaker has done nothing different than any other automaker in terms of refreshing and introducing new designs.

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In the past, we’ve discussed how the Honda Civic has gone through generational changes every 4-7 years. Tesla has made routine changes to the Model S and Model X in that same timeframe, the Model Y is only a few years old and rumoredly in the process of a refresh with Project Juniper, and the Model 3 just received a complete overhaul via the Highland refresh.

I drove the new Tesla Model 3, here’s what got better

Not to mention, the Cybertruck has been on the market for less than six months.

“Aging” is a tough word to use in order to describe this lineup correctly. It is hard to even consider it stale. While Tesla is working with a vehicle lineup that has been around for a few years, updates and refreshes are happening regularly.

Jonas mentions that Tesla’s lineup “may be the oldest of any major OEM,” but with the Cybertruck just launching and Model 3 just recently getting an in-depth overhaul, it is difficult to agree.

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Oversupply in Key Markets

Jonas specifically mentions China here, and for good reason. Tesla is still very popular in China, but there are simply more affordable options, and consumers may not be able to justify spending three or four times the money.

In order to get back to its competitiveness, Tesla will need to launch a vehicle at this sort of price point, which would fall between $15,000 and $25,000.

What is going on in China is something Tesla could encounter in the United States in 5-10 years. Eventually, more companies will have EVs out there, and not everyone will want to pay a premium. Of course, Tesla plans to launch the next-gen platform sometime in 2025, so it is also a possibility that the company completely averts this situation in North America.

Hybrid Demand Increases

Hybrid sales increased five times faster than EVs last month, Jonas writes in the note. Some consumers may look at the best of both worlds for their next car, and hybrids may fit the bill of what they want. As someone who drove a Ford Escape Hybrid for seven years, it offered a lot of positives, including better fuel economy than the same model in an ICE version.

Jonas believes that Toyota will outpace any major automaker in the U.S. this year in terms of growth due to its focus on hybrid powertrains.

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Price Target

Jonas reduced Tesla’s price target to $320 from $345.

“Our thesis on Tesla is that it is both an auto stock + an energy, AI/robotics company … Negative developments in the global EV market very much matter to Tesla and should reasonably have a negative near-term impact on the price of the stock. At the same time, however, we believe investors should not ignore the continued developments of tesla’s other plays,” Jonas writes.

While the firm reduced its price target to $320, it also believes that Tesla will not “get credit as an AI company as long as core auto earnings are being revised down.”

This makes it seem like the “$100 bear case may be in play,” Jonas said.

Disclosure: Joey Klender owns Tesla stock.

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I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at . You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at .

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Investor's Corner

Tesla Board member and Airbnb co-founder loads up on TSLA ahead of robotaxi launch

Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a nod of appreciation for the Tesla Board member’s purchase.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Board member and Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia has loaded up on TSLA stock (NASDAQ:TSLA). The Board member’s purchase comes just over a month before Tesla is expected to launch an initial robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a nod of appreciation for the Tesla Board member in a post on social media.

The TSLA Purchase

As could be seen in a Form 4 submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday, Gebbia purchased about $1.02 million worth of TSLA stock. This was comprised of 4,000 TSLA shares at an average price of $256.308 per share.

Interestingly enough, Gebbia’s purchase represents the first time an insider has purchased TSLA stock in about five years. CEO Elon Musk, in response to a post on social media platform X about the Tesla Board member’s TSLA purchase, gave a nod of appreciation for Gebbia. “Joe rocks,” Musk wrote in his post on X.

Gebbia has served on Tesla’s Board as an independent director since 2022, and he is also a known friend of Elon Musk. He even joined the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help the government optimize its processes.

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Just a Few Weeks Before Robotaxi

The timing of Gebbia’s TSLA stock purchase is quite interesting as the company is expected to launch a dedicated roboatxi service this June in Austin. A recent report from Insider, citing sources reportedly familiar with the matter, claimed that Tesla currently has 300 test operators driving robotaxis around Austin city streets. The publication’s sources also noted that Tesla has an internal deadline of June 1 for the robotaxi service’s rollout, but even a launch near the end of the month would be impressive.

During the Q1 2025 earnings call, Elon Musk explained that the robotaxi service that would be launched in June will feature autonomous rides in Model Y units. He also noted that the robotaxi service would see an expansion to other cities by the end of 2025. “The Teslas that will be fully autonomous in June in Austin are probably Model Ys. So, that is currently on track to be able to do paid rides fully autonomously in Austin in June and then to be in many other cities in the US by the end of this year,” Musk stated. 

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Investor's Corner

Tesla hints at ‘Model 2’ & next-gen EV designs

Tesla’s Q1 2025 update confirms new models this year, with production tied to existing factory lines. Could it be time for the Model 2 debut?

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(Credit: Tesla)

During its Q1 2025 earnings call, Tesla executives hinted at the much-rumored “Model 2” and other next-gen EV designs.

Tesla slightly addressed whether or not it will be pushing forward with the debut of new models later this year in its latest earnings call. The company’s product development executive, Lars Moravy, shared some details about Tesla’s design process and the upcoming affordable models.

“We’re still planning to release models this year. As with all launches, we’re working through, like, the last minute issues that pop up. We’re knocking them down one by one. At this point, I would say that the ramp might be a little slower than we had hoped initially…But there’s nothing that’s blocking us from starting production within the next, within the timeline laid out in the opening remarks.

“And I will say it’s important to emphasize that, as we’ve said all along, the full utilization of our factories is the primary goal for these new products. And so the flexibility of what we can do within the form factor and, you know, the design of it is really limited to what we can do on our existing lines rather than building new ones. But we’ve been targeting the low cost of ownership. Monthly payment is the biggest differentiator for our vehicles, and that’s why we’re focused on bringing these new models with the, you know, the lowest price, to the market, within the constraints I just highlighted.”

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In January, Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja teased several new product introductions for this year. There is at least one product that most Tesla supporters and investors are hoping to see: the company’s affordable vehicles, which have been dubbed by the EV community as the “Model 2” or “Model Q.”

Before Tesla’s Robotaxi event last year, many speculated that the company would also unveil its affordable next-gen vehicle. Gene Munster from Deepwater had expected Tesla to release a stripped-down version of the Model 3 as its affordable vehicle during the Robotaxi event. In the end, Tesla unveiled its Robotaxi vehicle and its Robovan design.

It’s been a while since the Robotaxi event, and Tesla has kept mum about its affordable vehicle. Considering its Q1 2025 performance, TSLA investors look forward to catalysts that could boost the stock.

The “Model 2” has been labeled a potential catalyst for Tesla. As such, TSLA investors and supporters have been itching for news about the new affordable vehicle. The main questions surrounding the “Model 2” revolve around its design and price. Based on Moravy’s statement, the “Model 2’s” design will heavily depend on Tesla’s current assembly lines and supply chain structures.

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Elon Musk

Tesla regains Piper Sandler’s confidence with Robotaxi plans & Q1 Results

Piper Sandler says Tesla delivered the best-case scenario for bulls. $TSLA has catalysts ahead to silence the bears.

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tesla-model-y-delivery
(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla gained Piper Sandler analyst Alexander Potter’s confidence following its Q1 2025 earnings call. Piper Sandler reaffirmed its Overweight rating and $400 TSLA price target, signaling optimism for the company’s robotaxi and affordable vehicle launches expected this year. The firm’s stance reflects Tesla’s resilience amid market challenges.

Despite expectations of weak Q1 financials, Tesla’s stock edged up in after-hours trading, defying skepticism. Piper Sandler’s Alexander Potter noted that the results met the hopes of Tesla supporters, particularly as the company held firm on its timelines. Potter emphasized that anticipation for robotaxi details and new vehicle launches should keep critics at bay, supporting the $400 target.

“In our preview last week, we predicted that (at best) Q1 would be a non-event. With the stock trading up slightly in the after-hours session, it appears our best-case scenario has materialized. Considering generally weak Q1 financials, we think this is the best result that TSLA bulls could’ve reasonably hoped for.

“In our view, the most important Q1 takeaway is this: Tesla didn’t hedge expectations re: launching Robotaxis or lower-priced vehicles in 1H25. With <2 months until the end of June, investors can look forward to some interesting catalysts in the weeks ahead. In our view, this alone should be enough to keep the bears at bay, at least until we have a better idea re: the details of Tesla’s new products, as well as the scale/scope of the Robotaxi launch,” wrote Potter.

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Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives, a longtime TSLA bull, echoed Potter’s optimism for Tesla. Ives raised his price target for Tesla stock from $315 to $350 with a BUY rating. His Tesla upgrade came after Elon Musk’s announcement during the Q1 earnings call that he would reduce his involvement with DOGE, signaling a sharper focus on Tesla.

Tesla’s steady Q1 performance and unwavering commitment to its 2025 roadmap, including the Robotaxi launch and lower-priced models, bolster investor confidence. Piper Sandler’s analysis underscores Tesla’s ability to navigate a competitive electric vehicle market while advancing its technological edge. The upcoming Robotaxi launch and affordable vehicle introductions are pivotal, with analysts expecting these initiatives to drive stock value through 2025.

As Tesla prepares for these milestones, its stock movement reflects market trust in Musk’s vision. With Piper Sandler and Wedbush reaffirming bullish outlooks, Tesla’s strategic moves will remain under close scrutiny, positioning the company to capitalize on its innovation pipeline in a dynamic industry landscape.

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