Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
A New Tesla for $25,000? Company Looks to Slash Vehicle Price Tags
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
March 2, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Tesla says it will cut the cost of its next generation of vehicles in half, largely by using innovative manufacturing techniques and smaller factories.

CEO Elon Musk and other executives outlined the goals during a 3 1/2-hour investor day presentation at Tesla’s Austin, Texas, headquarters Wednesday as they presented the company’s third master plan.

The changes could bring the cost of a new generation of vehicles to around $25,000. Many investors were hoping to catch a glimpse of the next generation vehicles, but Musk said they wouldn’t be shown until a proper product unveiling.

“We’d be jumping the gun if we answer your question,” about the new vehicles, he told an analyst.

Shares of Tesla fell nearly 6% in after-hours trading during the presentation that ended just after 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Musk announced that Tesla plans to build a new factory in Mexico near Monterrey. Company executives said it will not take production from any other factories, where Tesla expects to expand production. They said the Mexican plant would build the next generation of vehicles, which also will be built at other factories.

It’s likely that the next generation vehicles will be smaller than the current ones to bring the prices down, but that wasn’t clear from the presentation. Many automakers build smaller vehicles in Mexico to save on labor costs and preserve profit margins.

CFRA Analyst Garrett Nelson attributed the drop in Tesla’s stock to the lack of details on the new vehicles as well as the company’s history of seeing its share price rise ahead of big events, only to fall when the actual news is made.

He said the company’s long-term focus may have disappointed some investors, but he sees Tesla’s vision as justifying its high stock valuation versus other automakers.

“What they outlined really made the case that it deserves to trade at a big premium to the rest of the industry,” he said.

Franz Von Holzhausen, Tesla’s design chief, said the company must make another sharp reduction in costs in order to reach its ambitious electric-vehicle production target of 20 million vehicles per year by 2030. Tesla expects to manufacture 1.8 million this year.

Less Expensive Factories

The company, he said, will build the cars in smaller modular units, then bring those units together. The system uses less space. Executives said as a result, its next electric powertrain factory will be half the size of the one Tesla just built in Austin, costing 65% less.

“That also means we can build more factories at the same time,” said Tom Zhu, who leads Tesla manufacturing.

Chief Financial Officer Zachary Kirkhorn said the company cut costs in half between the early Models S and X and the second generation, Models 3 and Y. It’s planning to do that again for the next generation, but also will improve the cars at the same time, he said.

The company also said it would design vehicles so they have fewer wires and transistors, and use fewer expensive rare-Earth metals in the batteries.

“As we improve affordability, the number of customers who have access to our products increases,” Kirkhorn said.

Musk said demand for Tesla vehicles is large, but many who want one now can’t afford them.

Executives said Tesla is unique from other automakers because all the people involved in vehicle design and manufacturing are in the same room. The company also designs and makes many of its parts and software while others rely on tiers of parts supply companies.

The company also said it has opened 10 of its supercharger stations to owners of other electric vehicles as of Wednesday. And it plans to offer a package of unlimited home charging for $30 per month in Texas using wind as the power source.

Kirkhorn said the new master plan includes product advances, rapid volume growth and technology advancement.

Musk began the session saying there is a clear path to sustainable energy on Earth, but it will take changing just about everything from fossil fuel power to electricity generated by renewable sources. The Earth can support more people than it does now without destroying natural habitats or huge austerity, he said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Fresno State’s Water Institute Teams with Nonprofit to Study on-Farm Recharge

DON'T MISS

Fresno City Council District 6 Debate Set for Oct. 14

DON'T MISS

Russia Urges Citizens to Leave Israel as Tensions with Hezbollah Escalate

DON'T MISS

Taxpayers in 24 States Will Be Able to File Their Returns Directly With the IRS in 2025

DON'T MISS

California Collects Millions in Stolen Wages, but Can’t Find Many Workers to Pay Them

DON'T MISS

Sweet Lola on the Mend, Ready for a Forever Home

DON'T MISS

Houthis Vow Retaliation Against US for Yemen Airstrikes

DON'T MISS

Chavez-Quintero Debate: How Would You Rate City-County Cooperation?

DON'T MISS

Biden Talks Election, Economy and Middle East in Surprise News Briefing

DON'T MISS

Big Money Rolling in from Commercial Builders for Local School Bond Measure Campaigns

UP NEXT

Houthis Vow Retaliation Against US for Yemen Airstrikes

UP NEXT

How Meta Brings in Millions Off Political Violence

UP NEXT

US Adds a Robust 254,000 Jobs and Unemployment Dips to 4.1% in Sign of Still-Sturdy Labor Market

UP NEXT

Dockworkers’ Union to Suspend Strike Until Jan. 15 to Allow Time to Negotiate New Contract

UP NEXT

The Whiskey Industry Is Bracing for a Trade War if Trump Wins. It’s Not Alone.

UP NEXT

Beneath the Potential Strike at U.S. Ports: Tensions Over Innovation

UP NEXT

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Drifts as Oil Rises and US Economy Shows More Signs of Strength

UP NEXT

Hundreds of Homes Impacted by Court Ruling on Fresno Enviro Docs

UP NEXT

ChatGPT Maker OpenAI Raises $6.6 Billion in Fresh Funding as It Moves Away From Its Nonprofit Roots

UP NEXT

Watch: Port Workers Go on Strike

Taxpayers in 24 States Will Be Able to File Their Returns Directly With the IRS in 2025

1 day ago

California Collects Millions in Stolen Wages, but Can’t Find Many Workers to Pay Them

1 day ago

Sweet Lola on the Mend, Ready for a Forever Home

1 day ago

Houthis Vow Retaliation Against US for Yemen Airstrikes

2 days ago

Chavez-Quintero Debate: How Would You Rate City-County Cooperation?

2 days ago

Biden Talks Election, Economy and Middle East in Surprise News Briefing

2 days ago

Big Money Rolling in from Commercial Builders for Local School Bond Measure Campaigns

2 days ago

Behind the Scenes at Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s Sea Lion Cove: A Flipper-tastic Adventure

2 days ago

Clovis Daytime Burglary: 2 Suspects Arrested, 1 at Large

2 days ago

Trump Stalled California Wildfire Aid? Ex-Aide Reveals Political Motive

2 days ago

Fresno State’s Water Institute Teams with Nonprofit to Study on-Farm Recharge

The California Water Institute at Fresno State announces its first formal partnership with Sustainable Conservation on a $498,423 grant-fund...

52 mins ago

52 mins ago

Fresno State’s Water Institute Teams with Nonprofit to Study on-Farm Recharge

52 mins ago

Fresno City Council District 6 Debate Set for Oct. 14

22 hours ago

Russia Urges Citizens to Leave Israel as Tensions with Hezbollah Escalate

1 day ago

Taxpayers in 24 States Will Be Able to File Their Returns Directly With the IRS in 2025

1 day ago

California Collects Millions in Stolen Wages, but Can’t Find Many Workers to Pay Them

1 day ago

Sweet Lola on the Mend, Ready for a Forever Home

2 days ago

Houthis Vow Retaliation Against US for Yemen Airstrikes

Challenger Luis Chavez and incumbent supervisor Sal Quintero debate in Fresno, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024.
2 days ago

Chavez-Quintero Debate: How Would You Rate City-County Cooperation?

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend