It wouldn't be an Elon Musk event without a Tesla tease. The 2022 and fourth-quarter earnings call had several tormenting lines like "next generation vehicle platform" and "we have other products in development," as well as a complete refusal to answer a question because "we would be jumping the gun on future announcements."
Q4 Earnings Call
Mark your calendar for March 1, 2023 — Tesla's Investor Day. That's when we will find out what's next for Tesla. During the investor call, there were no shortages of tempting tidbits of information from company executives. What is it? Musk understands the curiosity, "I mean, I'd love to answer. You know, if I were you, I'd probably be asking the same question."
Tesla Building Excitement for Next Model
While we are used to Musk provoking interest, Tesla's so-called Master of Coin, Zachary Kirkhorn was also dropping hints. The tight-lipped Chief Financial Officer wrapped up his opening remarks by describing priorities for funding Tesla's long-term road map. "This includes... development of our next-generation vehicle platform... We're looking forward to discussing these plans in more detail on our Investor Day in a month."
Kirkhorn is one of many executives having difficulty keeping the next vehicle a secret. Chief designer, Franz von Holzhausen has said that his favorite Tesla product is the next one.
Musk has alluded to a highly configurable van and was asked if there were plans to accelerate commercial vehicles outside of the Semi. Musk responded, "Well, I was basically saying yes, but I'm not going to give you details, (laughs) nice try, nice try. "
But Musk explained that it's not about a limit in different vehicles they want to produce; it's a constraint on total cell lithium-ion production output. "Well, it doesn't really help if all you're doing is shuffling around the batteries from one car to another… So, we want a new product introduction to match where the cells are available or that new product to use those cells without cannibalizing the cells of the other cars. That's the actual limiting factor for new models, not anything else really."
With supply chain certainty, the time is right to make the next introduction to the Tesla lineup. However, it's hard to predict when that next-generation vehicle will be produced. We are still waiting for the Cybertruck. That vehicle was announced in 2017, but is only expected to become available this summer.
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Cox Automotive, the world's largest automotive services and technology provider, has released a forecast predicting that Tesla will lead the luxury market in Q1 2023 with sales of 180,000 units, a gain of nearly 40% from Q1 2022. As a result, Tesla is expected to post solid sales gains and surpass a market share of 5% for the first time. This marks a significant achievement for the electric car maker as it continues to gain market share in the luxury car market.
Improved Inventory and Lowered Prices to Spark Demand
By far, Tesla will be the top luxury-vehicle seller in the U.S. in Q1, with sales more than double that of BMW or Mercedes. This impressive performance is likely due to Tesla's innovative technology, sleek designs, and rising brand recognition.
Tesla's success in Q1 2023 is expected to be primarily driven by improved inventory levels and lowered prices. According to Cox Automotive, new-vehicle inventory levels have significantly improved from Q1 2022, which has helped stimulate sales despite elevated prices and high auto loan rates. Tesla also lowered its prices in the first quarter to spark demand.
Tesla's Record Quarter
Tesla's Q1 2023 sales are expected to reach 180,000, a record quarter for the company in the U.S. In addition, the company's growth trajectory continues to outpace its competitors, with Tesla's market share forecasted to surpass 5% for the first time. This puts Tesla on track to achieve its goal of selling 1 million electric vehicles per year, an ambitious target the company has set for itself.
Strong Outlook for Tesla
Cox Automotive's forecast is good news for Tesla investors and enthusiasts. The electric car maker has been expanding its production capacity to meet the rising vehicle demand. Tesla's Model Y, launched in 2020, has been a hit with customers, with the company ramping up production to meet the high demand. Tesla also plans to launch the Cybertruck, its first all-electric pickup truck, in 2022.
As more consumers look to switch to electric vehicles to reduce their carbon footprint, Tesla's growth prospects are expected to remain strong. The company's continued innovation in the electric car space and aggressive expansion plans could help it solidify its position as a leader in the automotive industry.
Other Key Take Aways from Cox
The release suggests a positive surprise for U.S. auto sales in Q1 2023. Still, supply constraints and affordability issues are expected to put a ceiling on what's possible for the rest of the year. Despite these challenges, Tesla's continued growth trajectory and strong performance in the luxury market are promising signs for the electric car maker.
General Motors is expected to finish Q1 as the top seller of new vehicles in the U.S., with sales volume forecasted to increase by over 15% year over year to reach 587,000 units. However, sales will drop from Q4 2022 when GM's volume hits 618,692.
The Bottleneck Has Passed, but Prices Are Too High
New-vehicle inventory levels have significantly improved from Q1 2022, up roughly 70% from the volume recorded in the early months of 2022. This has helped stimulate sales despite elevated prices and high auto loan rates.
Fleet sales for the entire year of 2023 are forecasted at 2.2 million, up 23% from 2022, when 1.8 million units were sold to commercial buyers.
Cox Automotive has adjusted its full-year new-vehicle sales forecast to 14.2 million, an increase of nearly 3% from 2022.
Elevated prices and average auto loan rates above 8% are expected to hold back new-vehicle sales for the rest of the year. The typical new-vehicle loan payment was more than $750 a month in Q1, which is out of reach for many households.
Tesla's sales forecasted to surpass 5% market share in Q1 2023 is a significant milestone for the electric car maker. Tesla's success in the luxury market is due to its innovative technology, sleek designs, and raising brand recognition. In addition, the company's improved inventory levels and lowered prices have helped stimulate sales despite elevated prices and high auto loan rates. With a record quarter forecasted for Q1 2023, Tesla's outlook remains strong, and the company continues to lead the charge in the electric car market.
Tesla is updating its app to show the vehicle's planned path to its destination
Not a Tesla App
Tesla is consistently working to improve its mobile app experience for users, and now they're adding another new feature. Building on the features unveiled last year, Tesla is now adding the ability to view the route the vehicle is taking toward its destination. Thanks to Max for the tip!
Navigation Path
When using GPS navigation, the app directly displays the driver's destination, distance, and estimated arrival time (ETA) on the main screen. By tapping into the navigation section, users can access a map that shows the vehicle's location, nearby Superchargers, and destination details. The app also displays the vehicle's expected state of charge upon arrival at the destination, providing greater transparency for owners regarding battery consumption. The one missing piece was the suggested route the vehicle is taking to reach its destination. That is now being added to the app and is available for select users.
In the last Tesla app update, v4.19, the company introduced a new API called "nav route." This API looked to go unused at first, but this new feature appears to leverage this API to display the path the vehicle will take, much like the in-car navigation system.
Building on Latest Update
The October 2022 update brought a host of additional features to the Tesla mobile app, enhancing convenience for its users. For instance, the app now shows more information about the media playing in the vehicle, such as song title, artist, and destination details.
Energy Enhancement
The automaker rolled out major revisions to its Energy app in its cars, which displays the battery's state of charge upon departure and arrival, as well as the main causes of battery drain. Tesla started bringing this functionality to the app for older Model S and Model X vehicles, and will hopefully soon expand it to other vehicles.
The app will provide a detailed breakdown of energy usage for various features, such as air conditioning, driving, battery conditioning, elevation, and other components like charging mobile devices, onboard computers, lights, and the audio system.
As Tesla continues to hire additional app developers, users can anticipate further updates and improvements to the mobile app, offering more helpful features and enhancing the overall user experience.
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