Guests taking a look at a China-made Tesla Mannequin Y electrical automobile on the Auto Shanghai 2021 present in Shanghai, China, on April 27, 2021.
Qilai Shen | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs
Tesla on Sunday stated it delivered 308,600 electrical automobiles within the fourth quarter of 2021, beating its earlier single-quarter file in addition to analysts’ expectations. The automaker produced 305,840 totally electrical automobiles whole throughout the identical interval.
For the total yr, Tesla delivered 936,172 vehicles, an 87% improve versus 2020 when it reported its first annual revenue on deliveries of 499,647.
Within the third quarter of 2021, automobile deliveries reached 241,300, Tesla’s earlier finest quarter.
In accordance with a consensus compiled by FactSet, Wall Avenue analysts had anticipated Tesla deliveries of 267,000 within the fourth quarter and 897,000 for all of 2021.
Deliveries are the closest approximation of gross sales reported by CEO Elon Musk’s electrical automobile firm.
Tesla combines supply numbers for its higher-priced Mannequin S and X automobiles, and lower-priced Mannequin 3 and Y automobiles. The corporate doesn’t get away gross sales or manufacturing numbers by area.
Deliveries of its flagship Mannequin S sedan and Mannequin X falcon wing SUV represented slightly below 3% of Tesla’s whole deliveries in 2021. Mannequin 3 and Mannequin Y deliveries amounted to 296,850 within the closing quarter of 2021, and 911,208 for the total yr.
Tesla makes Mannequin 3 and Mannequin Y automobiles at its manufacturing unit in Shanghai and in Fremont, California, however solely produces the Mannequin X and Y in Fremont.
Shrugging off shortages
At Tesla’s 2021 annual shareholder meeting, Musk bemoaned a yr marked by provide chain issues that made it tough to acquire sufficient microchips and different unspecified elements.
All through the second yr of a world coronavirus pandemic, Tesla was in a position to improve automobile deliveries by ramping up manufacturing at its first abroad manufacturing unit in Shanghai, and by making technical modifications to the automobiles that it produces in Fremont, California, in order that it may ditch some elements altogether.
Notably, Tesla introduced in Might that it was eradicating radar sensors from Mannequin 3 and Mannequin Y automobiles constructed for purchasers in North America. These automobiles now depend on a camera-based system to allow Tesla’s driver help options corresponding to traffic-adjusted cruise management or computerized lane-keeping.
Wanting forward
Musk has proclaimed that he needs to extend Tesla’s automobile gross sales quantity to twenty million yearly over the following 9 years. In pursuit of that progress, Tesla is poised to start out manufacturing of the Mannequin Y crossover at its new manufacturing unit in Austin, Texas, this yr. It goals to open one other manufacturing unit in Brandenburg, Germany, after that.
The company recently moved its headquarters to Texas. The CEO announced the plan in October, and Tesla made it official in early December.
Last month, Musk wrote on Twitter, where he has about 68.4 million followers, “Giga Texas is a $10B+ investment over time, generating at least 20k direct & 100k indirect jobs.” According to public filings, Tesla plans to spend $1.6 billion on the Austin, Texas, factory in its first phase now underway.
Despite progress and ambitions in Texas, Tesla has delayed plans to start high-volume production of its Cybertruck, a distinctly angular pickup, until 2023. The company’s Semi and revamped Roadster are still in the works, too.
Industry outlook
The company now dominates battery electric vehicle sales in the U.S. and much of the world. But it is expected to lose overall market share as competitors bring out fully electric models of their own.
Tesla’s sales are still expected to rise with overall electric vehicle demand, which is partly driven by climate regulation.
Hoping to slash air pollution from transportation, states including California and New York, are following in the footsteps of several European countries and cities, by setting a date by which they will ban sales of most gas-powered vehicles.
By 2030, about 24% of new vehicles sold worldwide are likely to be fully electric, according to forecasts from Alix Partners.
—CNBC’s Jessica Bursztynsky and Jordan Novet contributed reporting.