Tesla Sales Drop More Than Expected

Tesla Sales Drop , More Than Expected.

The automaker has posted its first yearly drop in sales since the onset of the pandemic, CNN reports.

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The company reportedly built 433,000 units but only delivered 387,000.

That's significantly less than the 484,507 vehicles it delivered in the last three months of 2023.

Tesla shares fell 5% on April 1.

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Tesla partially attributed the sales drop to increased production of the updated Model 3 at its factory in Fremont.

The company also cited factory shutdowns caused by ships being diverted from the Red Sea because of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants, CNN reports.

The company also cited factory shutdowns caused by ships being diverted from the Red Sea because of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants, CNN reports.

Additionally, its factory in Germany shut down for a week because of an arson attack.

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Increased competition from brands such as China's BYD have also impacted sales, CNN reports.

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Increased competition from brands such as China's BYD have also impacted sales, CNN reports.

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Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives referred to Tesla demand in China as "very soft coming out of the gates for 2024.".

While we were anticipating a bad first quarter, this was an unmitigated disaster that is hard to explain away, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, via note to clients.

We view this as a seminal moment in the Tesla story for Musk to either turn this around and reverse the black eye first quarter performance.

, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, via note to clients.

Otherwise, some darker days could clearly be ahead that could disrupt the long-term Tesla narrative, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, via note to clients