Tesla falsifying sales numbers
12-16-14, 05:46 PM
#1
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Tesla falsifying sales numbers
I have been talking about Musk's shady way of doing business for a while now, despite liking the car and technology (i would buy one in a heartbeat if viable). The fact that many problems are always downplayed during financial calls (like Edmunds 5x drivetrain failures), and the way he "deals" with any customer or media that is negative on Tesla (remember first supercharger trips where Tesla showed wrong range and journos were left out of juice which Musk called malicious reporting), etc, etc.
Now car media is catching up.
As far as Tesla sales this year, here are the facts as near as we can determine: Automotive News has estimated Tesla’s reported sales in the US through October were 19,530 units. Actual registration numbers for the same period were 11,731 cars, a full 40% below the sales figures. Further, these registration figures show Tesla off 22% from the same period in 2013. Other sources have pegged the drop off at 26% this year. This may explain why Tesla may be dabbling in the fleet market for the first time, as pictured above.
If GM or Ford stopped reporting monthly sales and started spewing such drivel, the press would vilify them but the rules are different for Musk. If he told the media that Tesla sold 200,000 cars one month, outsold all the other luxury carmakers combined and that he personally just got back from Mars, the slobbering press would not question him and resultant news stories would send Tesla stock into orbit.
Few other things that came out recently:
- Musk said they are talking to Toyota about future partnership - stock went up - Toyota denied any talks
https://technology.ihs.com/510779/
- Musk said they are talking to BMW about future partnership - stock went up - BMW denied any talks
http://wolfstreet.com/2014/11/28/bmw...boration-hype/
- Tesla Fleet sales started:
http://www.ibtimes.com/zappos-ceo-to...-vegas-1638282
- Seeking Alpha article about "missing" Tesla's vehicles:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/2695...-external-data
- Merrill Lynch claims Tesla has 3000 unsold vehicles at the end of Q3 2014:
http://dailykanban.com/2014/11/broke...0-unsold-cars/
12-16-14, 06:05 PM
#2
^ I think a big part of Tesla's problem is his lack of dealerships. If he wants to be taken seriously, you need to have a dealer in every major metropolitan market. Nashville, for example, the city itself is a very politically blue dot in a very red state. Over 1 million people, population booming, people moving in from all over the country. Its also a very car centric city, ie no public transit and very spread out.
No Tesla dealer here. You want a Tesla, drive to Atlanta. Where your Tesla MIGHT have enough range provided you don't live on the far side of either city.
No Tesla dealer here. You want a Tesla, drive to Atlanta. Where your Tesla MIGHT have enough range provided you don't live on the far side of either city.
12-16-14, 06:26 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Deliveries: 21,821 cars
U.S. Registrations: 9,331 cars
Missing: 12,490 cars
U.S. Registrations: 9,331 cars
Missing: 12,490 cars
Not necessarily falsification of figures. Could some of those so-called "missing" Teslas have gone to places that, once sold, don't require formal registration of electric vehicles?
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-16-14 at 06:57 PM.
12-16-14, 06:34 PM
#4
Lexus Champion
Well I'm convinced, Tesla Motors is going down the tubes.
12-16-14, 06:44 PM
#5
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
if you actually read first link, you will see that export was 4600 vehicles in 2014, not anywhere close to get to the numbers that are missing.
12-16-14, 06:51 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
Virtually everywhere in the U.S (and I would assume most of Europe and the Far East) require vehicles registration, but that's not necessarily the rest of the planet.
Last edited by mmarshall; 12-16-14 at 06:59 PM.
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12-16-14, 07:10 PM
#8
Lexus Fanatic
Elon Musk responded to these reports by saying they are selling every car they build and his team issued a response saying that don’t report monthly sales because, “the media tends to read all sorts of nonsense into deliveries.” They also pointed out that a car could be sold one month and not registered until the next.
12-16-14, 10:55 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
with gas prices dropping like a rock, tesla's at even higher risk. i sold my stock recently for a nice upside though. 
12-17-14, 04:34 AM
#10
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
these numbers are not in financials. Merrill Lynch analysts started calling Tesla out back in September for having unsold inventory according to financials (where input in raw materials/inventory was much larger than output), while Musk was saying that they cant produce enough cars even after that and in response to that.. .it is linked in OP.
12-17-14, 04:35 AM
#11
Pole Position
I believe sales numbers and registration numbers can be quite different. Sometimes limited models are snatched up by brokers. These cars remain unregistered, but sold. You can still find brand new, unregistered cars from the 60's and 70's in Hemmings Motor News. It's rare but it happens.
12-17-14, 04:38 AM
#12
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Stock is down 31% since September 2014 and its going down more.
Tesla is not going to go out of business, it has a good product... but the stock is insanely overvalued based on statements and promises that are not going to happen.
12-17-14, 08:36 AM
#13
Lexus Champion
Tesla doesn't report sales numbers, that 19,530 figure is an estimate by a news outlet. So how could one falsify numbers that one doesn't report in the first place?
12-17-14, 04:56 PM
#14
Moderator: LFA, Clubhouse
I'm sure Musk's infantile rants/ravings/mistruths don't help.
12-17-14, 05:10 PM
#15
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
right... they also tell us they are constantly sold out and that they have no inventory at all... which is what these analysts have been talking about for past 3 months.