André Thierig, plant manager of the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, stands at the final inspection of the production of Tesla Model Y electric vehicles.
Patrick Pleul | Picture Alliance | Getty Images
Tesla plans to release fourth-quarter results after the bell on Wednesday.
Here’s what analysts are expecting, based on an average of estimates compiled by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: 76 cents
- Revenue: $27.26 billion
Tesla’s earnings report follows a steep rally in the company’s stock price tied to the election of President Donald Trump. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was the biggest backer of Trump’s campaign efforts and is now leading the president’s new government efficiency advisory board.
The electric vehicle maker’s stock price is up 58% since Trump’s victory in November as investors bet that Musk’s influence would lead to both favorable policies and less oversight of his companies.
In early January, Tesla reported deliveries for the fourth quarter of 495,570. For the full year, deliveries came in at about 1.8 million, marking the company’s first annual decline. Deliveries are the closest approximation of sales reported by Tesla, but are not precisely defined in the company’s shareholder communications.
To end 2024, Tesla offered a range of discounts on inventory vehicles and special discounts for buyers in North America who were referred by another Tesla customer. In China, Tesla cut prices on its popular Model Y SUVs before debuting a refreshed version, the Model Y Juniper.
Given the discounts on its vehicles in the quarter, margins are likely to be in focus on Wednesday’s call, along with guidance for Tesla’s core automotive and energy businesses in 2025.
Tesla previously reported that it had deployed 31.4 gigawatt-hours in battery energy storage systems in 2024, with 11 GWh of that deployed in the fourth quarter. Tesla’s growing energy division makes most of its revenue from sales and use of its big, backup batteries, including versions for home, business and utility-scale projects.
Tesla uses online forum Say Technologies to solicit and choose investor questions for execs to answer on earnings calls.
As of Tuesday, more than 100 inquiries had flooded in about Tesla’s plans around autonomous vehicle technology. Musk has been promising Tesla will turn its existing cars into robotaxi-ready vehicles for years but so far the company has not delivered a system safe to use without a driver at the wheel, ready to steer or brake at any time.
In October, Tesla drummed up excitement among fans by showing off an early prototype version of a Cybercab at its “We, Robot” event. However, Tesla still doesn’t produce robotaxis. Instead, the company sells a premium version of its partially automated driving system called “FSD,” short for Full Self-Driving Supervised.
Meanwhile, competitors including Alphabet’s Waymo in the U.S., and China’s WeRide and Pony.ai are already testing and commercially operating driverless ride-hailing services.
Besides the FSD-related inquiries, more than 100 shareholders submitted questions to the Say forum about Musk, seeking information about his obligations at the White House, and about the impact of his political and public conduct on the company.
Musk has recently made offensive jokes and gestures making light of the Holocaust, and has promoted Germany’s far-right, anti-immigrant party AfD, or Alternative fur Deutschland, ahead of the country’s elections in February.
His remarks and behavior have drawn rebuke from Democrats in the U.S. and leaders in Germany, Poland, the U.K. and France as well as from Jewish groups.
As CNBC previously reported, Tesla’s brand value shed $15 billion in 2024, owing to multiple factors including the company’s aging lineup of EVs, and Musk’s incendiary political rhetoric and conduct, according to research by Brand Finance.
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