CCTV Finance News: According to Fox News on the 11th, the website of American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla shows that Tesla has stopped accepting orders for the cheapest version of the electric pickup truck Cybertruck priced at $61000, while the Cybertruck priced at $100000 can be ordered immediately and delivered as early as this month. Industry analysts point out that this adjustment may indicate lower than expected demand for Cybertrucks.
The supply and demand situation of Cybertrucks has been closely monitored by Tesla investors and consumers, as its CEO Elon Musk has invested significant resources in the development of Cybertrucks and plans to produce 200000 Cybertrucks annually. However, due to the lower range of the higher priced version of Cybertruck than initially predicted, many customers now prefer the cheaper version of Cybertruck.
According to a previous report by China Newsweek, on December 1, 2023 at 4 a.m., Tesla CEO Elon Musk began the first delivery of this "impossible" Cybertruck pickup truck at the Texas Gigafactory.
According to third-party data at the time, Cybertruck had received over 2 million orders worldwide. Based on its estimated annual production capacity of 250000 vehicles, if all scheduled orders were delivered, Cybertruck's order volume would be projected to be 8 years later.
However, at that time, Musk's expectations for the Cybertruck were quite calm. At Tesla's 2023 Q3 earnings conference, Musk bluntly stated that Tesla's development of the Cybertruck is digging its own grave and believes it will take a long time to make money on this car.
To achieve mass production of Cybertrucks and generate positive cash flow at an affordable price, we need to do a lot of work. I just want to lower people's expectations for Cybertrucks. It's a great product, but from a financial perspective, it will take another year to 18 months to become a significant positive cash flow contributor, "Musk said.
According to Caixin, against the backdrop of cooling global demand for electric vehicles, electric vehicle giant Tesla has shelved its plans to build factories in multiple countries around the world.
Previously, there were reports that Tesla was seeking to establish a factory in Thailand. However, according to the latest media reports, the car company has made a strategic decision to abandon plans to establish a manufacturing plant in Thailand and will focus on expanding its charging network in the country. Insiders also said that Tesla's plans to build factories in other countries around the world, not only in Thailand, have been put on hold.
Tesla is currently only discussing the construction of charging stations, and the construction project has been cancelled, not only in Thailand, but also around the world. Malaysia will not go, and Indonesia will not go either. They have all withdrawn, leaving only China, the United States, and Germany (where the existing factories are located), "the source said.
Last November, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited Tesla's Fremont factory, where he met with executives such as Lars Moravy, Tesla's Vice President of Automotive Engineering.
He later hinted in an interview that Tesla was considering investing in Thailand. He also hinted that Tesla is exploring three potential factory locations in the country and will invest approximately $5 billion in the potential project.
In addition to focusing on expanding its supercharging network in Thailand, Tesla is also committed to introducing new electric vehicle models to the Thai market. Earlier this year, Tesla announced that its pure electric pickup truck Cybertruck will tour Thailand before September 2024.
According to Beijing Business Daily, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar stated last Friday that Tesla's postponement of expansion plans in Southeast Asia is not related to local performance or policies, but rather because the company is unable to compete with Chinese electric vehicles, resulting in losses.
Tesla currently only publicly promises to build a factory in Mexico, but the plan faces considerable uncertainty. Musk previously stated that Tesla will postpone its decision on whether to build a factory in Mexico until after the US presidential election in November.
Musk explained that if Republican presidential candidate Trump's threat to impose high tariffs on cars produced in Mexico comes true, then Tesla's massive investment in Mexico will be meaningless.
From the perspective of the Southeast Asian market, Japanese and Chinese car companies have the strongest presence. Japanese car companies have long entered Southeast Asia and have a high market share there; In recent years, Chinese car companies have accelerated their overseas expansion and are gradually establishing a foothold in Southeast Asia through new energy vehicles, occupying a dominant position in the local electric vehicle market. Taking Thailand as an example, a dual pattern has emerged where 80% of the market consists of Japanese cars and 80% of electric vehicles are Chinese brands.