2025-07-23T20:39:02Z

Share

Facebook

Email

X

LinkedIn

Reddit

Bluesky

WhatsApp

Copy link

lighning bolt icon
An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Impact Link

Save
Saved

Read in app

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider
subscribers. Become an Insider
and start reading now.
Have an account? Log in.

Tesla reported earnings on Wednesday that slightly missed Wall Street’s estimates, with the stock rising slightly after hours.
The EV maker reported Q2 revenue of $22.5 billion — its steepest year-over-year revenue decline in at least a decade.
Tesla’s analyst call kicked off at 5:30 p.m. ET — follow along for the latest.

Tesla reported earnings on Wednesday that came in slightly below Wall Street’s already grim estimates.

The EV maker reported second-quarter revenue of $22.5 billion, compared to expectations of $22.64 billion — its sharpest quarterly revenue decline in at least the last 10 years. Adjusted earnings per share, a key measure of profitability, were 40 cents, compared to Wall Street’s estimates of 42 cents.

Tesla cited “a sustained uncertain macroeconomic environment” stemming from “shifting tariffs, unclear impacts from changes to fiscal policy and political sentiment” in its earnings release.

It also gave a highly anticipated update on its plans to launch a more affordable vehicle.

“We continue to expand our vehicle offering, including first builds of a more affordable model in June, with volume production planned for the second half of 2025,” the company said.

Investors had been bracing for a challenging quarter. Tesla already reported deliveries for the second quarter on July 2, missing analysts’ expectations. The company delivered 384,000 vehicles compared to estimates of 389,400.

Heading into the 5:30 p.m. ET analyst call, investors are listening closely for key business updates on initiatives including robotaxis, full self-driving, and AI.

Tesla stock is down about 18% through Wednesday’s close.

2025-07-23T21:46:50Z

Musk says Tesla is scaling Optimus production ‘as fast as humanly possible.’

Musk says five years is an “achievable target” for Tesla to produce one million units of its Optimus humanoid robot.

2025-07-23T21:41:34Z

Tesla’s energy business faces “headwinds from tariffs” and supply change challenges, Musk says

Musk says Tesla’s energy business is looking good despite challenges.

“Energy is growing really well, despite headwinds from tariffs and spare supply chain challenges,” Musk says.

He adds that Tesla saw record Powerwall deployments and battery demand is “gigantic.”

2025-07-23T21:38:00Z

Musk gives update on Tesla’s FSD software

Tesla’s supervised “Full Self-Driving” software remains in beta.

Musk says Tesla is making “significant” improvements to the software. He adds that the automaker can likely “10x the parameter count” from what people are experiencing with the software.

2025-07-23T21:31:44Z

And we’re off! Tesla’s analyst call has begun

CEO Elon Musk is on the call. The company begins with some prepared remarks on the quarter.

2025-07-23T21:30:53Z

Tesla stock dips into the red minutes before the analyst call kicks off

Tesla’s stock was trading down in after-hours trading as the call kicks off. You can listen to the analyst call here:

2025-07-23T21:18:23Z

Tesla says the Cybercab is still on track

Tesla Cybercab press image

The Tesla Cybercab in a marketing video for the robotaxi.

Tesla

Tesla says in its earnings release that it’s “continued development of Semi and Cybercab, both slated for volume production in 2026,” echoing the expected timeline shared in its last earnings report.

The Cybercab, which is different than the self-driving Model Y vehicles which launched as part of Tesla’s limited robotaxi service in Austin, doesn’t feature a steering wheel or pedals.

2025-07-23T21:01:08Z

ANALYSTS REACT: Analysts say the numbers aren’t great, but there’s reason to be optimistic

Analysts don’t sound fazed by the numbers.

Thomas Monteiro, senior analyst at Investing.com, told Business Insider that “margin deterioration appears to have come in at the lower end of the curve.” He said that, combined with improving demand dynamics in key markets, could lead to better full-year results than previously projected.

“Although still far from what fundamentals would suggest for a trillion-dollar company, Tesla’s latest numbers do spark some optimism, indicating that the worst is likely behind it—at least in terms of the core auto business,” Monteiro said.

Jacob Bourne, analyst at EMARKETER, a sister company to BI, said that the automaker is still facing challenges, like supply chain risks and competition from Chinese EV makers.

However, he said Tesla is expected to push the boundaries of innovation if it solves its “leadership distractions.”

“Tesla doesn’t need to choose between cars and future tech. There are technical synergies between EVs, robotaxis, energy systems, and robotics that could accelerate innovation across all fronts,” Bourne said. “The question is whether leadership can execute on this integrated vision in this fast-moving market.”

2025-07-23T20:51:36Z

Tesla shareholders have questions about robotaxis, FSD, and Optimus

Tesla retail investors submitted over 2,300 questions on Tesla’s online Q&A forum ahead of the 5:30 p.m. ET call with analysts.

The most frequently asked questions concerned robotaxis, FSD, and Optimus. The Cybertruck also continued to be a hot topic on the forum, while questions about Elon Musk’s political involvement seemed to have wavered since the last earnings call.

Take a look at some of the most upvoted questions:

“Can you give us some insight how robotaxis have been performing so far and what rate you expect to expand in terms of vehicles, geofence, cities, and supervisors,” the top post, with 6,400 upvotes, says.”What are the key technical and regulatory hurdles still remaining for unsupervised FSD to be available for personal use? Timeline?” a post with 4,000 upvotes says.”What specific factory tasks is Optimus currently performing, and what is the expected timeline for scaling production to enable external sales,” one question with 3,800 upvotes says. “How does Tesla envision Optimus contributing to revenue in the next 2—3 years?””Can you provide an update on the development and production timeline for Tesla’s more affordable models,” a question with over 4,000 upvotes says. “How will these models balance cost reduction with profitability, and what impact do you expect on demand in the current economic climate?”

2025-07-23T20:20:10Z

Tesla earnings miss Wall Street’s estimates, stock rises 1%

Here are the key numbers:

Adjusted EPS 40c vs. 52c y/y, estimate 42cEPS 33c vs. 42c y/yRevenue $22.50 billion, -12% y/y, estimate $22.64 billionGross margin 17.2% vs. 18% y/y, estimate 16.5%Operating income estimate: $923 million

Source: Bloomberg data

2025-07-23T20:00:42Z

The Tesla Diner opened to fanfare in West Hollywood this week

Lines formed at the Tesla diner in Hollywood on its second day.

Lines formed at the Tesla diner in Hollywood on its second day.

Ben Bergman/BI

Tesla’s latest launch was actually a … diner?

Two Business Insider reporters visited the new Tesla Diner in Los Angeles within 24 hours of its grand opening this week. The retro-futuristic atmosphere is complete with rounded architecture, eye-catching neon lighting, 45-foot drive-in screens playing Sci-Fi classics like “Star Trek” and “War of the Worlds,” and servers darting around on roller skates.

Celebrity chef Eric Greenspan controls the 24-hour diner’s menu offerings, which are reimagined takes on classics including burgers, hot dogs, breakfast tacos, and chicken and waffles. Opening day was bustling and busy, with the kitchen at times overwhelmed by wave upon wave of guests — typical for a grand opening — but minor hiccups in service were easily overcome and both reporters left feeling the diner was worth a second visit.

While it remains to be seen how long the novelty of the Tesla Diner will linger at the West Hollywood location, Musk has said this is just the first of many souped-up Supercharger stations to come, announcing on Monday that he’s planning to build a second drive-in near SpaceX’s Starbase spaceport in Texas.

— Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert

2025-07-23T19:30:37Z

Analysts and investors want key data points for Tesla’s Robotaxis

Tesla robotaxi in front of logo.

Tesla’s Robotaxi service launched in Austin in June.


Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

As Tesla continues its pilot launch of the robotaxi service in Austin, investors and analysts will be paying attention to a few key data points.

Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management and Tesla investor, said in an analysis published Tuesday that the rate of the Robotaxi’s expansion will be more important than the “absolute fleet size of geofence size.”

Investors appear to agree, as one of the top questions on Tesla’s online Q&A forum asks about the rate the company expects to increase operations.

Jose Asumendi, JP Morgan’s head of the European Automotive Research team, told Business Insider that Robotaxi’s long-term progression will be determined by the number of cities the service has been deployed, number of accidents and disengagements per kilometer, and the technology’s acceptance by the public.

-Lloyd Lee

2025-07-23T19:00:45Z

The robotaxi launch will likely be a hot topic

Tesla launched its highly anticipated robotaxi service at the end of June in Austin. The autonomous ride-hailing service is still in its early stages, and only a select group of people have the opportunity to try the service.

Currently, the service operates with a limited number of self-driving Model Ys and a safety operator in every ride.

In its last earnings call, Tesla said it would scale up the service “rapidly” after the launch. Investors will likely be listening for an update on future plans to expand the service. Musk said the plan was to be in many cities by the end of the year and predicted there would be “millions of Teslas operating fully autonomously in the second half of next year.”

— Ana Altchek

2025-07-23T18:30:31Z

William Blair: Eyeing headwinds from Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill

Elon Musk looks out at reporters as Donald Trump looks down at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office

The Republican tax and spending bill will eliminate tax credits on electric vehicle purchases after September 30.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Tesla could see further downside, partly thanks to policy changes in the Republican tax and spending bill, analysts from William Blair wrote in a note this month.

The firm pointed to the bill’s ending of the EV tax credit, as well as the removal of corporate average fuel economy fines — fines for carmakers when their vehicles aren’t energy efficient enough. Both changes are expected to impact Tesla’s revenue, given that the company sold emissions credits to other carmakers that didn’t meet energy efficiency standards.

The firm downgraded Tesla to a rating of “Market Perform.”

2025-07-23T17:30:05Z

Sales speed bump

The road ahead looks even bumpier for Tesla.

Analysts have warned that the company could face a major hit to its profits from the impact of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which is set to eliminate the $7,500 tax credit for new US-made EVs.

Ahead of the tax credit coming to an end on September 30, Tesla is piling on incentives and offers.

A banner at the top of Tesla’s US website urges customers to “take delivery now” ahead of the deadline, and the EV giant is offering 18 months of free supercharging and 0% financing on select models. Tesla is also allowing owners of its Full Self-Driving system to transfer the software to a new vehicle for free for a limited time.

Like many of its rivals, Tesla is attempting to boost sales of its EVs before the $7,500 discount goes away.

Analyst Gene Munster wrote in a Tuesday note that he expects the policy change to impact around 20% of Tesla’s global deliveries, adding that he expects the company’s sales to be better than expected next quarter as buyers rush to take advantage of the tax credit before it vanishes for good.

— Tom Carter

2025-07-23T16:30:00Z

Wedbush Securities: Stock could be at a ‘positive crossroads”

Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute's Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,on May 6, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.

In a note to clients, Wedbush analysts outlined a list of actions Tesla’s board needed to take in order for the company to move forward.

Apu Gomes/Getty Images

Tesla stock could be heading toward an inflection point, if Musk continues to lead Tesla full-time and stay on top of its most important projects, analysts at Wedbush Securities said.

In a note on Tuesday, the firm said that the outlook for Tesla looked “dramatically different” now compared to three months ago, when Musk was still working closely with the Trump administration.

In a previous note, Wedbush analysts expressed concerns over Musk’s political intentions, calling his plan to create a new political party a “Soap Opera” that needed to end. The firm also outlined a list of actions Tesla’s board needed to take to move the company forward, which included drafting a new pay package for Musk and setting guidelines for Musk’s political plans.

“We are at a ‘positive crossroads’ in the Tesla story,” the analysts said.

Wedbush reiterated its “Outperform” rating and the stock and $500 price target, implying about 49% upside from current levels.

2025-07-23T16:00:53Z

Investors push for new models

Even as Tesla has finally launched its robotaxi service in Austin, sales of its regular electric cars have been lacklustre.

Tesla deliveries fell 13.5% in the last quarter compared to the previous year, with the automaker seeing a similar fall in Q1.

Tesla’s stock is also down over 18% so far this year amid customer blowback over Musk’s politics and growing competition from Chinese EV companies like BYD and Xpeng.

The automaker said it would begin production of new, more affordable models in the first half of 2025 to help grow sales, but that deadline came and went with no acknowledgment from Tesla.

Shareholders are keen to get answers about the new models in Tesla’s Q2 analysts call. A forum for retailer investors to submit questions for the call with Musk and other executives includes several submissions asking for more details about the mysterious affordable EVs.

“Can you provide an update on the development and production timeline for Tesla’s more affordable models? How will these models balance cost reduction with profitability, and what impact do you expect on demand in the current economic climate?” wrote one shareholder in a post that received nearly 3,000 votes on the platform.

— Tom Carter

2025-07-23T15:30:10Z

Bank of America: Q2 earnings are challenged

Tesla Cybercab

Tesla sources its batteries from China, leaving it exposed to the impact of Trump’s tariffs, Bank of America said.

Jonas Roosens/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Tesla is in a difficult spot ahead of earnings, Federico Merendi, an analyst at Bank of America, wrote on Monday.

“Tesla 2Q earnings are likely to be challenged due to tariffs and disappointing deliveries,” Merendi wrote, adding that Tesla sourced its batteries from China and that its exposure to tariffs was “not insignificant.”

The bank reiterated its “Neutral” rating on the stock and raised its price target to $341 a share, up from the prior estimate of $305. Its new price target implies about 3% upside from the current levels.

2025-07-23T15:00:40Z

A rocky year

It’s never boring at Tesla, and this year has been no exception.

The EV giant has battled backlash over CEO Elon Musk’s forays into politics and faced investor discontent over the amount of time the billionaire is spending on other projects.

Shareholders and analysts have been somewhat mollified by Musk’s return to Tesla, with the world’s richest man saying he’s back “working 7 days a week at Tesla and sleeping in the office.”

“Now investors are seeing more of a ‘wartime CEO’ as Elon is laser-focused on the Robotaxi expansion in Austin with more cities soon on the docket for this key autonomous initiative,” wrote Wedbush Securities analyst and Tesla bull Dan Ives in a note on Monday.

Ives, who was previously told to “shut up” by Musk after calling for Tesla’s board to exercise more oversight over their CEO’s political activities, said that he expected sales to rebound as demand for Tesla’s refreshed Model Y grows, especially in China.

He also flagged the broadly successful robotaxi launch and the upcoming shareholder vote on a possible investment in Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI as evidence that Tesla is getting its groove back.

— Tom Carter

2025-07-23T14:30:00Z

Morgan Stanley: Elon Musk’s politics could be a headwind

Elon Musk at a White House press briefing with Donald Trump.

Elon Musk at a White House press briefing with Donald Trump in February.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Musk’s promise to create a new political party could be a short-term headwind for Tesla stock, analysts at Morgan Stanley wrote in a note, calling the situation a “party crasher.”

The bank pointed to the immediate drop in Tesla stock after Musk officially announced his plan to form the “America Party” in a post on X earlier this month, which sent shares tumbling around 7%.

“While the situation remains fluid, we believe investors should be prepared for further devotion of resources (financial, time/attention) in the direction of Mr. Musk’s political priorities which may add further near-term pressure to TSLA shares,” analysts wrote.

Still, Tesla stock remains a “top pick” for the bank. Analysts reiterated their $410 price target on the stock, pointing to their growth forecasts for Tesla’s auto business.

2025-07-23T14:00:56Z

Tesla earnings expectations: Analysts estimate $22.6 billion of revenue for the 2nd quarter

Second quarter

Adjusted EPS estimate: 42cEPS estimate: 32cRevenue estimate: $22.64 billionGross margin estimate: 16.5%Operating income estimate: $1.23 billionFree cash flow estimate: $760 millionCapital expenditure estimate: $2.43 billion

Full year

Production estimate: 1.65 millionDeliveries estimate: 1.65 millionCapital expenditure estimate: $10.14 billion

Source: Bloomberg data