Saudi FM calls Indian, Pakistani counterparts to discuss developments    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia cracks down on fraudulent Hajj campaigns, urges pilgrims to use official channels    Nammos Amala Resort to open soon with Saudi-Greek designs    Saudi Arabia completes 674 Vision 2030 initiatives, achieves 93% of KPIs as ninth-year milestone marked    Literature Commission inaugurates Saudi Pavilion at Muscat Book Fair    Saudi Minister of Culture holds talks with his Costa Rican counterpart in Jeddah    Alkhorayef praises advancements in Al-Kharj food industries sector    MHRSD: 80% of recruitment offices are non-compliant with regulations    At least 50 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza    Teenage girl killed in French school stabbing attack    Trump claims meeting with China after Beijing denies any trade negotiations    GACA chief chairs 16th meeting of the Steering Committee on aviation's strategy    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Jennifer Lopez dazzles in Jeddah with a Formula 1 performance    Saudi Arabia open to expanded 64-team World Cup in 2034, says sports minister    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Film Commission launches 'Cinema' initiative to enhance content    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Tesla debuts $35,000 Model 3, sees loss in first quarter
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 03 - 2019

Tesla Inc said on Thursday it would not be profitable in the first quarter, as it offered for the first time a $35,000 version of its Model 3 sedan and said its global sales would now be online-only, steps designed to increase demand and cut overhead costs for the electric vehicle maker.
Chief Executive Elon Musk's warning on profit during a conference call with members of the media, which did not include Reuters, contrasted with Tesla's statements last month that it was expecting a "very small" net profit in the first quarter.
Shares of Tesla fell 3.4 percent after hours. Investors have voiced concerns about whether Tesla would be able to maintain profit margins through cost cutting — such as recent layoffs — as it reduces prices of its newest vehicle.
Still, the price drop could quell concerns from some analysts that demand for the higher-priced versions of the Model 3 was beginning to dry up in the United States, especially after a federal tax credit was cut in half this year.
"Tesla wants to drum up demand," said Elazar Advisors' Chaim Siegel. "There was a slowdown in the US as the tax credits dropped. (There are) more tax credit hits later in the year too so they are trying to be proactive."
Musk has often shared that his strategy for Tesla was to build higher-priced cars — the Model S and X — whose success would ultimately usher in a $35,000 mass-market car, followed by an SUV, the Model Y, which is currently in development. But customers who reserved the Model 3 at that lower price have waited nearly three years since Musk first promised it.
An online-only sales strategy, along with other changes, would allow vehicle prices to fall by about 6 percent on average, Tesla said in a blog on its website. Over the next few months, Tesla will wind down "many" of its stores, while investing in its service system, it said.
Online-only sales represent a dramatic shift for the company that has prided itself on its boutique retail stores. In June 2017, Musk pledged to increase the number of stores, saying they had "barely touched the surface" of what was possible.
As of the fourth quarter, Tesla said it recently opened 27 new locations, bringing its total of stores and service centers to 378. Thursday was the third time this year that Tesla lowered the price on the Model 3, which recently started at $42,900.
The new $35,000 version has a top speed of 130 miles per hour (209 km per hour) and can go from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, Tesla said. For $2,000 more, Tesla offers a version with a range of 240 miles (386 km) and a top speed of 140 mph.
A $35,000 Model 3 is a major shot in the arm for Tesla sales during a period of major challenges, including deliveries of the Model 3 to Europe and China and construction of a factory in Shanghai.
"This is a game changer," said Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives. Since tax credits will continue to decline over 2019, "this is really exactly what the doctor ordered," he said.
He warned, however, there could be "more speed bumps ahead," if more sales volume exacerbates prior problems with deliveries and service to customers.
Musk declined to answer a question on what the profit margins of the $35,000 vehicle would be, according to the New York Times. Gross margins on the car were above 20 percent in the fourth quarter.
"The margin on the vehicle obviously is going to be very small if there's any margin there at all," said David Kudla, CEO of Mainstay Capital Management, which has a short position in Tesla.
As part of cost-cutting efforts, Tesla last month reduced its full-time headcount by 7 percent, following a similar cut of 9 percent to its workforce in June 2018.
The price cut on the Model 3 comes three days after renewed tensions between Musk and US Securities and Exchange Commission. The agency petitioned a judge this week to have Tesla's CEO found in contempt of an October settlement between the parties. The SEC accuses Musk of having made material statements about production levels on Twitter without first having them vetted internally.
That settlement between Musk, Tesla and the SEC concerned Musk's August Twitter post in which he claimed to have "funding secured" to take Tesla private at $420 per share. On Friday, Tesla is due to repay a $920 million convertible bond. Convertible issues give bondholders the right to trade their debt for equity after shares rise over a certain price. Tesla shares are currently about $40 below the $359.87 conversion price.
Tesla had $3.7 billion in cash and cash equivalents at the end of December. — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.