At a time when the global automotive sector remains hit hard by the Covid crisis with sales at half mast or with shortages of microchips, Tesla is walking once morest the grain. The American electric vehicle manufacturer delivered more than 936,000 cars of all models in 2021, which represents an increase of 87.4% compared to the previous year. The manufacturer is thus doing much better than the objective announced last January, to increase its deliveries by 50% on average per year for several years.
In detail, the group, which has chosen to move its headquarters from Palo Alto (California) to Austin (Texas), has sold 911,208 copies of its models 3 and Y and 24,964 vehicles of its luxury models S and X, sold $ 90,000 and $ 100,000 each, respectively.
To achieve this performance, Tesla, unlike other manufacturers in the world, has managed to ignore global logistical problems. Elon Musk had indicated that he had been able to circumvent much of the semiconductor shortage by using new chip models but also by rewriting the software accordingly.
The group has also benefited from the enthusiasm for electric vehicles from individuals as well as from rental companies and companies. In October, Tesla recorded a mega order for 100,000 electric vehicles from rental company Hertz to be delivered by the end of 2022.
A company valued at 1,000 billion dollars
However, this exponential growth is not for all that a long quiet river. The builder has to deal with quality issues. In April, Tesla’s brakes made headlines in China: A disgruntled customer made a splash at the Shanghai auto show, protesting the supposedly faulty brake system of a vehicle in which relatives were injured. The “Autopilot” driver assistance system is also under investigation by NHTSA following a series of accidents. The fact that Tesla is testing new driving assistance features in real conditions with ordinary drivers without having specific authorization is also fueling controversy.
Recently, Tesla was also forced to turn off the option that allowed passengers to play video games in a moving car. At issue, a complaint from an owner of a Tesla, who protested once morest this feature. “How come a manufacturer is allowed to display videos that clearly obstruct focus and take up two-thirds of the screen the driver needs to have all the information regarding his vehicle? He asked. On the other hand, it was also easy for the driver to play while driving ignoring a warning message.
In addition, there are mass recalls of vehicles to the garage. If this is not unique to Tesla, it might show a loophole in the production system in the future. Recently, the automaker launched a recall of nearly 500,000 vehicles in the United States and 200,000 in China due to issues with vehicle trunks. Tesla had already recalled in June 285,000 cars in China following an anomaly in its driver assistance software, and a few thousand Model 3 and Model Y in the United States to inspect and tighten, even replace, bolts in the brake calipers.
From the perspective of investors and traders, it should be noted that the good news of Tesla’s deliveries is a markedly bullish factor for the stock, especially since it has corrected sharply over the past week. If Tesla’s financial results are expected on February 2, this commercial success allows the company to appear in the very closed circle of the club of groups valued at over $ 1,000 billion on the stock market.
