After the recent price cuts, Tesla has sold more cars than ever before in the company’s history.
(Photo: dpa)
Bangalore Tesla, the world’s largest e-car maker, exceeded analysts’ expectations with a delivery record in the second quarter. According to its own information on Sunday, the US company handed over 466,140 cars to its customers in the reporting period.
According to Refinitiv data, experts had only expected an average of 445,000 vehicles. Last year, Tesla delivered 254,695 vehicles from April to June.
Tesla put production in the reporting period at 479,700 vehicles, an increase of 85.5 percent compared to the previous year. The electric car pioneer had lowered the prices for its electric cars worldwide at the beginning of the year, putting pressure on the competition.
Tesla also managed to close the gap between production and sales in the past quarter. Analysts had feared the electric carmaker could build up a massive inventory of unsold cars because production had grown so rapidly recently. In the second quarter, this gap was still 13,500 cars – and thus already significantly lower than in the first quarter.
Through direct sales, Tesla can flexibly adjust its prices. The company recently boosted its sales with other purchase incentives such as free charging current. Analysts expect the company to maintain its aggressive pricing policy well into next year, even though margins have recently suffered as a result.
Tesla’s model range is no longer fresh: the latest model is the Model Y, which was launched in 2020. A facelift is expected for the Model 3. The mid-size models Model 3 and Model Y currently account for around 96 percent of Tesla’s global sales. The high-end models Model S and Model X only play a minor role in sales.
In China, Tesla recently reduced the prices for its premium models by 4.5 percent and promised additional purchase incentives for the Model 3. Because in the second most important market for Tesla, BYD had recently risen to become the largest manufacturer of electric cars – and thus overtaken Tesla.
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