Tesla’s problem is not just Elon Musk’s distraction

Production problems on three continents Intensifying competition Share price drop. A distracted CEO seems determined to alienate some company’s most loyal clients.

An increasing number of problems at Tesla, the most valuable auto company in the world, is piercing their obscurity as the sector’s technology leader. This is leading analysts and investors wondering if Tesla can maintain its dominance in the electric vehicle market.

Elon Musk, the CEO and high-profile buyer of Tesla Motors, is at the heart of investors’ concerns. TwitterHis role at Tesla was overshadowed during a critical time in the relatively short history of the auto industry.

Tesla is trying to increase production at its new factories in Austin, Texas and outside Berlin. Tesla’s Shanghai plant has been shut down sporadic due to supply chain problems and covid restrictions.

With rising interest rates, and a global recession in the horizon, Tesla car demand appears to be slowing. A few months ago, potential buyers had to wait for months to get a new Tesla. Analysts believe this is a sign of low demand.

Musk has been preoccupied by Twitter, a company that he admitted he bought at a steep price. Last weekend, he conducted a poll asking users if they thought he should resign as CEO of Twitter. He stated that he would respect the results. The majority of those who answered “yes” said yes.

Mr. Musk will be appearing on Tuesday He said he would resignTwitter CEO: “As soon I find someone stupid enough for the job!” He also said that he would continue to manage the software and servers team.

Axel Schmidt is a senior managing director at Accenture and oversees the company’s automotive division.

Tesla did not respond to a request to comment.

Mr. Musk is still widely known a fanHis success in the automotive sector was due to the fact that he demonstrated that battery-powered cars can be stylish, fun to operate, and financially viable. Tesla’s success compelled auto giants like General Motors, Ford Motors and Daimler into creating their own electric models.

Mr. Musk is a Tesla incarnate Henry FordOnce the body belonged to the automaker named after him. Musk is the cofounder, CEO and largest shareholder. He has made significant progress in battery technology and software and can quickly make decisions.

It’s not clear who is paying attention while Mr. Musk tries reshape Twitter. Tesla does not publish any hierarchy of management. The company’s website lists only three top executives: Mr. Musk and Mr. Zachary Kirkhorn. Andrew Baglino is the senior vice president responsible for engineering.

“Mr. Musk is a very charismatic person, and it is clear that the company is not secure without him. Nothing happens without his approval,” Garrett Nelson, senior equity analyst at CFRA, an investment firm, said. (Mr. Nelson stated that he disagreed with this view).

Tesla has lost the market because traditional automakers now sell electric cars that are reliable.

The US has seen electric cars from General Motors, Ford, and Hyundai fall behind Tesla. The introduction of models such the Cadillac Lyric, Nissan Ariya and the Nissan Ariya will increase the competition.

China’s local manufacturer BYD is a serious threat to Tesla. They have stopped making internal combustion models and now focus on electric cars. This year, Tesla has overtaken BYD in terms of the number sold.

Volkswagen and its affiliates like Audi sell more electric cars in Europe than Tesla, though Tesla’s Model Y, Model 3 and Model 3 are still the most popular all-electric vehicles.

Tesla has not introduced a new passenger vehicle since the Model Y, an SUV in 2020, in an industry that thrives off new products. The company has said it will start selling its vehicles. The long awaited CybertruckIn 2023. The truck will be available long after the Ford, Rivian and General Motors product competition.

Tesla’s share prices fell 66 per cent on Wednesday after trading. They had reached a peak in November 2021. This is a sign of how quickly investors are losing confidence in Mr. Musk and the company. The stock fell 8 percent on Tuesday alone.

The decline is partly due to a fear that Musk will need it. Sell ​​more of his shareTesla to finance his Twitter acquisition. Musk sold $23 Billion worth of Tesla stock to fund the $44 billion purchase of social networking site. This flooded the market and drove down the price. He is still Tesla’s largest shareholder.

Falling stocks also indicate that investors are doubting Mr. Musk’s promises to Tesla that it will sell 20 million cars per year by 2030. This is as much as Toyota and Volkswagen combined. The dream of global dominance is what justified Tesla’s billion-dollar valuation. (Today, a Tesla’s value is less than half that. Mr. Musk Proposal on Twitter on TuesdayDue to rising interest rates, and the possibility of a recession, stocks fell.

Musk has been a mercurial boss since his inception. But, his management style has been evident ever since he bought Twitter. He fires or lay off more than half of his staff and demands that those who remain work “scandalous.”

The Twitter anarchy has hurt Mr. Musk’s reputation as a genius. His incendiary tweets could alienate potential buyers, who have veered left. He suggested that Dr. Anthony Fauci be charged as the nation’s top immunologist. Senator Elizabeth WarrenThe Massachusetts Democrat has stopped America from suffering after it said he was neglecting Tesla shareholders.

“There was such a kind of aura around Elon Musk that he could do no wrong,” said Taylor Ogan, a hedge fund manager and YouTube presence who owns three Teslas. “It finally caught his attention.”

Joya Banerjee was a senior adviser at CARE in Washington who was focusing on gender-based violence. She looked at a Tesla while she was looking for an electric vehicle. She was dissatisfied by Musk’s ego, sexism, and excessive force even before he bought Twitter.

She stated that she couldn’t imagine her money going to the CEO’s salary. Instead, Mrs. Banerjee purchases a Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Kenneth Holiko, a retired human relations manager in the government who lives and owns a Tesla said that Musk’s comments regarding Dr. Fauci, and other topics, add to his concerns about the company’s credibility on matters like the safety of its self driving software.

“I’m not going go out and sell Tesla because of what’s happening on Twitter,” Mr. Holecko said. “But, I will never buy another Tesla.”

Poll data shows that Mr. Musk has been a negative influence on Tesla’s brand among liberals, who are the most likely to buy electric vehicles. According to Morning Consult, Tesla’s net preference rating (the number of people who rate the company positively and those who have a negative opinion) fell to 10 percent in November from 31 percent at the beginning of the year.

According to the company’s research, Tesla’s net preference ratings among Republicans rose slightly to 27 percentage point in November from 21 percentage point in August. This is because Musk has adopted conservative talking points. Morning Consult analyst Jordan Marlatt stated that it’s unlikely that Tesla will attract enough Republican supporters to make up for the disaffected Democrats.

Mr. Marlatt said that Tesla is becoming increasingly partisan, which could have very serious implications going forward.

While Tesla is still the market leader in electric vehicle sales in Germany (and other countries), it is slowly losing ground to other manufacturers. Recent Twitter activities by Mr. Musk made headlines across the country with news from Germany The State Department’s accession to the European Union in condemnationTwitter accounts that are not being used by journalists can be deactivated. This could pose a threat to freedom of expression.

German drivers are feeling the negative vibes about Mr. Musk. A clear majority of them feel that Tesla’s Twitter acquisition has had a negative effect on their image, particularly among women and those over 50. According to Puls, Germany’s market research firm, almost half of Germans who are currently considering or looking to purchase a new car believe that the Twitter acquisition has discouraged them from doing so. The company surveyed 1,010 respondents in the first week of December.

Monday’s tweet by Tesla stated that its new factory outside Berlin produced 3,000 Model Ys in the past week. This is far from Musk’s goals.

China is the largest market in electric cars and Mr. Musk’s behaviour in managing Twitter was poor. Twitter, like almost all social media platforms in western countries, is blocked in China.

China and the Communist Party viewed Mr. Musk as a typical example of a foreign CEO. Chinese officials were elated that Musk proposed Taiwan becoming a special administrative territory of China in October as a way to hand more control to Beijing. Taipei sharply rebuffed the suggestion.

There are signs that China’s fierce competition in electric vehicle markets may be having an adverse effect. Tesla announced its October earnings. Reducing the prices of its cars in ChinaUp to 9 percent According to the company, this was because production costs had fallen.

According to data from China Passenger Vehicle Association (CPVA), Tesla sales in China were 59 percent more than a year ago, but that was slower that the overall growth of “new energie vehicles” — which includes all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. These cars have seen a double-digit increase in sales, while BYD has more than tripled its market share.

Tesla has been slower to release new models and features than Chinese competitors. The Model 3 was introduced in China almost three years ago, and the Model Y 18 months ago. This lag between new models in China is an opportunity for competitors.

“The target has always been Tesla’s back,” stated Tu Lu, managing director at Beijing-based consulting firm Sino Auto Insights. “Competitors smell blood.”

Ryan MacContribute towards the preparation of reports