Wallstreetcn
2024.04.19 02:58
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Next Tuesday, Wall Street wants Musk to explain clearly!

Next Tuesday, Tesla's first-quarter report will have an impact on market confidence. Tesla's stock price has fallen, with investors concerned about its future growth. The market is paying attention to the development progress of Tesla's Robotaxi and Model 2 models, hoping Tesla can provide clear revenue growth points. Wall Street analyst Dan Ives believes that if Tesla does not launch the Model 2 in the next 18 months, it will have a disastrous impact on the company's future growth story. Tesla announced the launch of Robotaxi on August 8th, but investors are skeptical about whether its commercial readiness is sufficient. Signs such as Tesla's layoffs, FSD subscription price reduction, and Cybertruck delivery suspension have also raised alarms among investors

As the stock price continues to "plummet", with market expectations of an upcoming quarterly report next Tuesday falling short, can Tesla still restore market confidence?

Currently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is vowing to accelerate the development process of Robotaxi (fully autonomous taxi) and postpone the launch of the Model 2 for the mass market. Musk stated on social media platform X on Tuesday: "Pushing for full self-driving is a wise move. Everything else is just a variation of horse-drawn carriage technology."

However, investors are dissatisfied with Tesla and Musk himself: Tesla's stock price has fallen by 39% this year, with a drop of over 9% since April 4th. Reports at that time claimed that Musk had canceled the production plan for Model 2, which Musk denied, announcing that Tesla will launch Robotaxi on August 8th.

Investors' tense relationship with Musk stems from a widely held belief in the market that Model 2 will contribute about half of Tesla's revenue in the coming years, and doubts about the readiness of Robotaxi for commercialization. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives poured cold water on Musk's plans in a report on Wednesday. Ives stated that Musk needs to launch Model 2 as soon as possible. He wrote: "We believe that if Tesla does not launch Model 2 within the next 18 months, it will be a disastrous gamble that could change Tesla's growth story in the coming years."

In addition, various signs are also sending warnings to investors. A previous article by Wall Street News mentioned that Tesla recently cut global staff by over 10%, FSD subscription monthly fee reduced by 50%, the latest product Cybertruck delivery suspended and suspected accelerator blockage issues.

However, many Wall Street analysts believe that Tesla has not abandoned Model 2. Tesla bull and Managing Partner of The Future Fund, Gary Black, said he expects Musk to mention that Model 2 is in progress at the earnings call next TuesdayBlack also known as Tesla's sources told him that Model 2 will start production in 2026. Industry analyst Philippe Houchois from investment bank Jefferies also mentioned that he expects Musk to announce that Tesla is simultaneously developing Model 2 and Robotaxi. Barclays analyst Dan Levy stated in a report to clients that Musk may be concerned that if he talks too much about Model 2, customers may postpone buying other Tesla models and wait for cheaper ones.

Houchois also mentioned that Musk's emphasis on Robotaxi may be because he believes that Robotaxi is more profitable than simply selling electric vehicles, thereby boosting the company's stock price.

In any case, Wall Street is now eagerly hoping that Musk will clarify his thoughts on Model 2 and Robotaxi