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Tesla On Track To Turn a Profit This Year (cbsnews.com)

Thanks to gains in Model 3 output, Tesla's second-quarter revenue grew by more than $1 billion. Unfortunately, the company's net loss rose dramatically as a result. In a statement, Tesla said it achieved its target of producing 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week and that it aims to make 6,000 per week by the end of August. It's expect to produce 50,000 to 55,000 Model 3 vehicles in the third quarter -- a sharp increase from the previous quarter.

"It took 15 years to execute on our initial goal to produce an affordable, long-range electric vehicle that can also be highly profitable," Musk and Chief Financial Officer Deepak Ahuja wrote in a letter to shareholders. "In the second half of 2018, we expect, for the first time in our history, to become both sustainably profitable and cash-flow positive." Tesla has only turned a profit in two quarters. CBS News reports: The electric vehicle company founded by billionaire Elon Musk reported an adjusted net loss of $717 million for the period on revenue of $4 billion. Tesla went through $739.6 million in cash between April and June, less than the $900 million Wall Street analysts had forecast. In another boost, the automaker said it has trimmed its capital spending by manufacturing the Model 3 on existing assembly lines, rather than building new lines. Although Tesla is burning through less cash, it continues to lose money. The company reported an adjusted net loss of $3.06 per share, more than analysts expected. The loss more than doubled from the same quarter a year ago. Slashdot reader Rei adds: After the release of Tesla's Q2 results and followed by the investor call, Tesla's stock surged around 9% in aftermarket trading today. Among the main drivers: automotive gross margins rose to 21%, Model 3 gross margins turned positive (before the start of sales of AWD and performance variants, which are making up half of all new orders), and the reiteration and reinforcement of guidance for sustainable profitability from Q3 onward. [...] While no longer using a reservation system in the U.S. for first-production orders (retaining it only for less expensive Model 3 variants and overseas orders), new North American first-production orders are making up a large portion of current orders; consequently, no changes are announced for timing of overseas orders. The average selling price is expected to remain high "for several quarters" due to "a richer mix in the initial wave of Model 3 deliveries to Europe and APAC"; the "normalization of the Model 3 average selling price" is anticipated in the second half of 2019, and is not expected to impact gross margins, due to improved production cost efficiency over time. On the conference call, Musk sounded tired and admitted to getting too little sleep. He apologized twice, but was told by an investor: "Don't let the trolls get you down, but we do like it when you tease the trolls a bit."

5 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Huh? by iggymanz · · Score: 2, Funny

    you must be one of those "trolls" the summary talked about, with that dated notion that a company must make more money than it spends or it'll go out of business.

    Pshaw! I say. Hype, hooplah, and happy feelings are the currency now.

  2. Re:Huh? by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 3, Funny

    Silly me and my antiquated notion of profit!

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    Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
  3. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    But they make it up in volume.

  4. Re:Short sellers are going to be nuclear destroyed by Rei · · Score: 5, Funny

    From r/wallstreetbets:

    I'm holding 4 $305p 8/3s at 16.98ea. The fourth contract was bought on margin by accident during the fiasco this morning. I'm going bankrupt.

    Tesla up 9%, I officially have no f***** idea how the stock market works

    LOOOOOLLL.. My wife is going to kill me after I get margin called off these puts

    WHY CANT I MAKE ONE F****** TRADE OMG IM SO BAD AT THIS S***, ELON YOU F******* NOODLE HEAD

    What in the everliving f***

    i hope the conference call just f***** up the call holders - please dear god elon say the n-word

    "First options trade ever, 8/17 put at 250. Do I just assume my money is gone or can I recover some of this?" "LOL Musk would have to commit a mass shooting at the Fremont factory for this put to be worth anything."

    That page is a schadenfreude laugh riot right now ;)

    --
    Assuming ethanol comes from murdered children and the hydrogen from magic, hydrogen saves 132% more lives than ethanol.
  5. Re: Huh? by AlanObject · · Score: 3, Funny

    If they were concerned about the environment they wouldn't be "investing" in a company that makes $60,000 cars!

    Right. Because a car's degree of compatibility with the environment can be fully determined by the price of the car.

    Reality? how does it work again?