$Tesla Motors(TSLA)$ delivered a record number of electric vehicles in the fourth quarter of last year, beating market expectations and meeting its 2023 target, but the top electric car maker's spot belongs to China's BYD $BYD Co., Ltd.(BYDDF)$ $BYD COMPANY(01211)$ .
Tesla delivered 494,989 electric vehicles between October and December, less than the 526,409 vehicles delivered by Buffett-backed electric car company BYD, mainly in China, suggesting that car buyers are looking for cheaper models in a high-interest economy.
While Tesla has delivered 1.8 million vehicles this year, it is still short of CEO Elon Musk's ambitious annual target of 2 million vehicles. Tesla still leads BYD in bettery electric vehicles, with BYD delivering a total of 3.02 million vehicles of all types for the year, including about 1.4 million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Tesla share price doubled last year, but was nearly flat amid widespread weakness in the market on Tuesday.
Susannah Streeter, head of funds and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the price cuts had boosted deliveries to BYD. The price war will hurt both companies' profit margins, but BYD clearly believes it is a price worth paying to increase market share and visibility.
In fact, Tesla added discounts and offered some incentives, such as six months of free fast charging if customers pick up before the end of December. Tesla's incentives are seen as an effort to boost sales ahead of 2024, when some models of its compact Model 3 will lose U.S. federal tax credits.
After halting production in the third quarter to upgrade assembly lines, Tesla produced a record 494,989 vehicles in the quarter, bringing total production to 1.85 million vehicles in 2023.
Gary Bradshaw, a portfolio manager at Tesla shareholder Hodges Capital, said Tesla's delivery volume was "much better than the domestic car companies in the United States."
Smaller rival $Rivian Automotive, Inc.(RIVN)$ also reported deliveries on Tuesday, but missed market expectations due to a general pullback in demand for electric vehicles. That weakness has led U.S. automakers such as $Ford(F)$ and $General Motors(GM)$ to become more cautious about electric vehicle capacity plans.
"Tesla may have to cut prices further, especially for models like the Model 3 that lose their tax credit," said Seth Goldstein, stock strategist at Morningstar. "However, most of the price cuts are in response to the Fed's rate hike, so Tesla is likely to keep prices unchanged if borrowing costs start to fall."
Tesla delivered 461,538 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in the quarter, while delivered about 23,000 of its other vehicles. Tesla did not disclose whether the new Cybertruck was included in the delivery tally.
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