Investing.com -- Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has warned that it expects to see "notably lower" sales growth in 2024 versus the prior year, as the electric vehicle giant faces intensifying competition and stalling demand from cost-conscious carbuyers.
In a presentation to shareholders, the company said it is currently "between" an initial growth wave sparked by the popularity of its Models 3 and Y, and a second that it believes will be initiated by a lower-cost, next-generation offering. Chief Executive Elon Musk told analysts in a post-earnings call that this new car is slated to begin production in the second half of 2025, adding that it will feature "revolutionary manufacturing technology."
Tesla's stock price slipped in premarket U.S. trading on Thursday. Shares in major Chinese EV makers also fell after Musk claimed that these groups would "demolish" their foreign rivals without trade barriers, feeding concerns over eventual export restrictions on the sector.
Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share at Tesla came in at $0.71 on revenue of $25.17 billion, missing Wall Street estimates of $0.73 and $25.61B, respectively.
A total of 484,507 EVs were delivered during the quarter, up from 435,059 in the prior three-month period. Tesla said it had hit its goal of 1.8 million deliveries in 2023, but did not provide a current-year forecast for the figure. Wall Street estimates have called for about a 20% uptick in deliveries in 2024, a number that would be well below the 50% goal outlined three years ago.
Meanwhile, margins came under pressure after Tesla, confronted with strong competition particularly in China and American consumers wary of the elevated price tags often associated with EVs, moved to slash prices. An increase in research expenditures and costs related to the ramp-up of production of its Cybertruck pick-up also weighed on the company's results.
Gross margins slipped to 17.6%, although automative gross margin -- a crucial gauge of Tesla's core operations -- grew to 17.2%, topping expectations of 15%.
Musk flagged that margins this year "will be good" if interest rates come down quickly and "won't be that good" if they do not. "[W]e don't have a crystal ball, so it's difficult for us to predict this with precision," he said.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley predicted in a note to clients that Tesla's profitability will see a "material drop" in 2024.
Yasin Ebrahim contributed to this report.
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