Tesla's Q1 Deliveries Plummet More Than Anticipated by Wall Street | Carscoops

      Deliveries in the first quarter dropped 13 percent year-over-year, indicating a decrease in demand for Tesla's electric vehicles.

      Tesla reported delivering 336,681 vehicles in Q1 2025, which marks a 13 percent decline from last year's 386,810 vehicles.

      Production also fell to 362,615 vehicles, primarily consisting of the Model 3 and Model Y. A global backlash linked to Elon Musk’s political views may have impacted sales significantly.

      Tesla’s Q1 2025 results show that the company's dominance in the EV market is beginning to wane, revealing issues that appear to extend beyond a mere temporary decline.

      The firm recorded 336,681 deliveries in the first quarter, a notable 13 percent decrease compared to the same timeframe last year. Production figures were similarly disappointing, with Tesla manufacturing 362,615 vehicles in Q1 2025, down from 433,371 a year earlier. Overall, this performance is substantially weaker than what most investors were expecting, who had estimated deliveries between 360,000 and 380,000.

      While Tesla does not provide detailed numbers by model or region, it confirmed that 345,454 of the vehicles produced were from its main models—the Model 3 and Model Y. Among those, 323,800 were delivered to customers between January and March, leaving only 12,881 deliveries for the Cybertruck, Model X, and Model S in total.

      The overall drop may have some circumstantial causes. During the quarter, Tesla experienced increasing protests, boycotts, and vandalism aimed at showrooms, vehicles, and charging stations globally. Incidents included 80 EVs being set ablaze in Canada and extensive damage to Cybertrucks across the United States.

      The common factor linking these events is CEO Elon Musk's controversial political actions and attention-grabbing behavior, including his association with DOGE, ties to the Trump administration, and a gesture interpreted as a Nazi salute, which have stirred conflict and distanced large segments of potential customers.

      Additionally, issues regarding the Model Y contribute to the decline. Tesla is transitioning from the current version of its best-selling model to a redesigned Juniper model. The updated version was introduced in China in late January and began reaching markets like Australia and Europe in late February. However, the rollout has been uneven, as the non-limited editions have yet to arrive in North America. Moreover, Tesla has been out of stock of the older Model Y in the U.S. for several weeks, undoubtedly affecting sales.

      These disappointing delivery figures come after a challenging period for Tesla's stock, which recently recorded its worst quarterly performance since 2022, losing 31 percent of its value since the year's beginning.

      The stock had soared during Musk’s alignment with Trump, reaching a peak of $428 on January 15, just days before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. However, that momentum dissipated quickly. Following the announcement of the quarterly results, Tesla shares experienced a brief drop of 13 percent to $256.58 before slightly recovering to $263 at the time of publication, down from approximately $268 the previous day.