Following yesterday’s earnings call, shareholders of Tesla stock are pleased to see a “comeback” after a tough few months. Shares surged over 10% in the morning and continue to trade with high volume as a result of the electric carmaker’s earnings beat and rosy outlook for 2023, closing the day up nearly 11%.
Let’s take a look at seven key takeaways from Tesla’s fourth quarter shareholder letter and earnings call yesterday.
1. 2022 Was A “Fantastic” Year
Elon Musk explained, “It was a fantastic year for Tesla. It was our best year ever on every level. In 2022, we delivered over 1.3 million cars and achieved a 17% operating margin, the highest among any volume carmaker, I think maybe among any carmaker.”
CFO Zach Kirkhorn reflected on the past year’s accomplishments: “On a full year basis, revenue increased over 50%, operating income doubled, free cash flows increased over 50%, and our margins remained industry-leading.” In addition to the vehicle side of the business, he added that “the energy business had its strongest year yet across all metrics.”
2. Demand Is Surging In 2023
Musk noted that after Tesla’s recent price drops, “Demand far exceeds production … we’ve seen the strongest orders year-to-date ever in our history. We currently are seeing orders at almost twice the rate of production.”
3. Understanding The Value Of Full Self-Driving
Regarding Full Self-Driving, Musk noted: “every time we sell a car, it has the ability, just from uploading software, to have Full Self-Driving enabled … and then, when it becomes fully autonomous, that is a value increase in the fleet. That might [turn out to] be the biggest asset value increase of anything in history.”
4. Cybertruck Is Coming
Musk commented that Cybertruck production will start slowly: “sometime this summer … [and] will not be a significant contributor to the bottom line, but it will be next year. So it’s an incredible product. I can’t wait to drive it personally. It will be the car that I drive every day.”
5. An Upbeat Forecast
According to Musk, vehicle production should range somewhere between 1.8 million and 2 million: “our internal production potential is actually closer to 2 million vehicles, but we were saying 1.8 million… so if it’s a smooth year, actually, without some big supply chain interruption or massive problem, we actually have the potential to do 2 million cars this year.”
6. Tesla’s Vehicle Roadmap Is “Exciting”
With future vehicles, Musk teased: “we have other products in development. We’re not going to announce them, obviously, but they’re very exciting. And I think it will blow people’s minds when we reveal them. Tesla has the most exciting product roadmap of any company on Earth by a long shot.” More will likely be shared on March 1st during Tesla’s upcoming Investor Day.
7. Shareholders Should Expect Growth
Regarding the future for the stock, Musk predicts: “there’s going to be bumps along the way … but long term, I am convinced that Tesla will be the most valuable company on Earth.”
While it’s difficult to predict what’s coming, if we look through the rearview mirror, it’s clear that Tesla’s experienced some impressive growth, as evidenced in the charts below.
If these trends continue, shareholders might want to buckle in for a fast-paced, exciting road ahead.
Originally posted on EVANNEX.
Disclosure: Nothing above is financial or investment advice of any kind. We do not provide financial or investment advice here on CleanTechnica.
Related Stories:
Tesla Customer Orders Now ~2× Production Capacity, Slight Price Increases Coming
Elon Musk: Let’s Not Overhype Tesla Cybertruck Start Of Production
Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality and cleantech news coverage? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.
Don’t want to miss a cleantech story? Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
