Zinger Key Points
- Tesla's price cuts divided the company's fanbase, with fears of margin impact overriding positive expectations concerning sales.
- Newbie VinFast shed much of its bloated market cap this week, lending credence to the view that the stock is set to crater.
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Shares of electric vehicle makers closed the week ending Sept.1 mostly higher, drawing inspiration from the broader market, which rallied on the back of some soft economic data. EV market leader Tesla, Inc. TSLA experienced some volatility this week as fears of further price cuts weighed down on the stock.
Tesla Takes Down Prices Yet Again, Launches Model 3 Refresh And More: The week saw Tesla discounting prices of inventory Model 3 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada as well as lowering configurator prices of Model S and Model X vehicles in the U.S. The Model S and Model X price cuts were steep, ranging from 15% to 18.8%. This triggered negative reaction from the Tesla community, investors, as well as analysts.
The company has now offered all color options free of cost to customers and pulled the plug on the standard range options of the two EVs. The subscription pricing of the full self-driving software was lowered from $15,000 to $12,000.
Tesla timed the Model S and Model X price cuts in the U.S. to coincide with the launch of the Model 3 refresh in Asia and Europe. Analysts and fans were divided over whether the improved features justified the incremental pricing of the refreshed vehicle.
The stock ended the week at $254.01, down 5.06% on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro data, as traders reacted to the price cuts and Model 3 refresh launch.
See also: Best Electric Vehicle Stocks
Fisker Amid Newsflow: Fisker announced additional details of its affordable PEAR EV priced at $29,999. The PEAR will be built in collaboration with Hon Hai Precision Manufacturing Co. Ltd. HNHPF in Ohio. The company said the EV will feature a unique Houdini trunk that enables owners to load and unload in tight parking situations and to avoid damage in parking structures with low ceilings. Fisker expects manufacturing and deliveries to commence in July 2025.
The company also announced that it has commenced operations in three more European markets, namely Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Sales in these countries will begin in September, it said.
Chinese EV Trio’s Strong August: The Chinese EV trio of Nio, Inc. NIO, XPeng, Inc. XPEV and Li Auto, Inc. LI reported monthly sales. Li Auto led the pack by clocking record deliveries of 34,014 EVs in August, while Nio’s deliveries came in at 19,329 units, slightly down from July’s 20,462 units. XPeng, which has been struggling recently to push sales, sold 13,690 EVs in August, up from 11,008 units in July.
VinFast Plunges Hard After Strong Start: After a run-up to $90-level at the start of the week, Vietnamese EV startup VinFast Auto Ltd.‘sVFS shares came down from the stratospheric level over the course of the week. The startup, which has yet to establish its credentials as a credible EV marker, has seen its stock rally hard since its public listing through the SPAC route, with the upside attributable mainly to the scarce supply of the stock. At one point, VinFast’s stock rally took its market cap past several legacy automakers to the number three slot after Tesla and Toyota. Analysts have been calling out the stock’s strength as irrational exuberance and warned of a collapse in stock price.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Canoo Names New CFO: Lifestyle EV manufacturer Canoo, Inc. GOEV said Greg Ethridge will take over from Ken Manget as CFO, with immediate effect. This would mean a very short stint for Manget, who took over the position only in January. Canoo is among the EV upstarts that are struggling to transition successfully into commercial stage.
Read Next: Tesla Investor Says ‘Short-Term Narcotic’ Price Cuts Won’t Work: ‘Sad That..Mgmt Doesn’t Get This’
Here are the key events that happened in the EV space during the week:
EV Stock Performances for The Week:
| Weekly Change | |
| Tesla | +2.69% |
| Nio | +1.57% |
| XPeng | +6.73% |
| Li Auto | +7.82% |
| Fisker | +2.58% |
| Workhorse Group, Inc. WKHS | +1.42% |
| Lordstown Motor Corp. RIDEQ | +10.69% |
| Hyzon Motors, Inc. HYZN | +2.40% |
| Canoo | +11.75% |
| Rivian Automotive, Inc. RIVN | +16.14% |
| Lucid Group, Inc. LCID | +5.65% |
| Faraday Future Intelligent Electric, Inc. FFIE | -41.83% |
| Arrival ARVL | +1.27% |
| Nikola Corp. NKLA | -9.92% |
| VinFast | -57.10% |
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