April 1 (Reuters) – Tesla’s first-quarter deliveries are expected to be lower than in the December quarter as the electric-vehicle maker struggles with uneven demand and intensifying competition in key markets.
The Elon Musk-led EV maker is expected to report deliveries before the markets open on Thursday.
* Analysts polled by Visible Alpha expect Tesla to deliverabout 368,900 vehicles in the January–March period, representinga sequential decline of 11.8% but growth of 9.6% from a yearearlier, when a major backlash against Musk’s far-rightpolitical rhetoric hurt sales * The average of 23 estimates compiled by Tesla is 365,645units * Intensifying competition in Europe and China and theexpiry of a $7,500 federal tax credit in the U.S. on EVpurchases in September weigh on demand * While Wall Street estimates still point to modest growththis year, sentiment has shifted notably in recent months, withsome analysts expecting a decline * Analysts expect deliveries of 1.7 million vehicles thisyear, and 1.84 million units in 2027, according to Visible Alphadata * Tesla is increasingly shifting its focus beyond electricvehicles, placing bets on solar energy, humanoid robots, andautonomous robotaxis as the next pillars of its business.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; Editing by Anil D’Silva)
