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Tesla reported 336,681 vehicle deliveries worldwide in the first quarter of 2025, the electric automaker said in a news release on Wednesday, April 2. Those deliveries are down 13% from 386,810 vehicles in the first quarter of 2024.
The Austin, Texas-based company blamed the shortfall on upgrades to manufacturing facilities.
"While the changeover of Model Y lines across all four of our factories led to the loss of several weeks of production in Q1, the ramp of the new Model Y continues to go well," Tesla said.
However, investors and analysts expected far more.
Tesla's internal consensus projected 377,590 deliveries, while forecasts ranged between 360,000 and 370,000, CNBC reported. The final number even came in below the prediction market Kalshi's forecast of 352,000.
Deliveries for Tesla's flagship Model 3 and Model Y cars totaled 323,800, while the company delivered 12,881 vehicles from its other lines, including the controversial Cybertruck. Tesla doesn't break out regional sales data.
Shares of Tesla have plummeted about 32.9% so far in 2025, as of the start of trading on April 2. The company's stock experienced its worst quarter since 2022 and its third-worst since going public, wiping out an estimated $460 billion in market value.
While Tesla's delivery numbers have slipped, its controversies have only grown.
Musk has drawn intense backlash for his political role in the Trump administration as de facto leader of the Department of Government Efficiency. Tesla's CEO has been heavily involved with purging federal agencies, resulting in tens of thousands of layoffs.
Tesla's low delivery announcement comes immediately after a significant political loss for Musk in Wisconsin. Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel – a Musk-endorsed challenger – on Tuesday, April 1, according to unofficial results.
As of 11 a.m. on April 2, Crawford, who was backed by Democrats, led Schmiel by about 238,000 votes – around 10 percentage points, according to the New York Times. While the race was technically nonpartisan, the campaign became a political proxy battle less than five months after the 2024 Presidential election.
Musk and groups he supported spent more than $21 million in an effort to defeat Crawford, the Associated Press reported. Musk even traveled to Wisconsin to personally give $1 million checks to two voters while wearing a Green Bay Packers cheesehead.
The race was the most expensive judicial race in US history and Crawford credited her win to voters rejecting Musk's influence.
"Growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I would be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin," Crawford said. "And we won."
Despite previously saying the race would "decide the future of America and Western civilization," Musk downplayed Crawford's victory and focused more on Wisconsin voters approving a constitutional voter identification amendment.
"The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary," Musk posted on his social media platform X.
Musk's surging political influence has included his support for far-right groups across Europe, especially the Alternative for Germany (AfD) nationalist party. Tesla has become the focus of massive global protests and boycotts in the "Tesla Takedown" movement.
Tesla dealerships and vehicles have also been targeted by vandals. Trump-appointed Attorney General Pam Bondi has called vandalism against Teslas "domestic terrorism."
To avoid the anti-Musk sentiment, some Tesla drivers have disguised their cars with other automaker logos or added bumper stickers like "I Bought This Before We Knew Elon Was Crazy" and "This is my last Tesla."
Trade-ins of Teslas for other brands have surged, especially among buyers switching to rival electric vehicles. Tesla's visibility on competitor shopping lists is also slipping fast, according to data from car-shopping site Edmunds.
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- Investor Survey: 85% Believe Tesla Hurt By Elon Musk's Political Power, Reports Say
The lower deliveries and rising deliveries contradict Musk's claim that the Model Y will be the "best-selling car on Earth again" in 2025.
"As Tesla brand loyalty and interest wavers, those offering competitive pricing, new technology, or simply less controversy could capture defecting Tesla owners and first-time EV buyers," said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds.
Tesla will report full financial results for the first quarter of 2025 on Tuesday, April 22.
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