(Reuters) -Tesla's shares fell 3% before the bell on Thursday, as the electric vehicle maker's quarterly profit fell short of market estimates despite record sales, hit by rising costs and fading regulatory credits.
The company's fourth consecutive profit miss shows that even Tesla isn't immune to the cost crunch gripping the auto sector, as President Donald Trump radically overhauls U.S. policy.
Tesla shares have swung wildly in 2025, falling as much as 39% through March as weak demand and CEO Elon
Musk's ties to the Trump administration sparked political backlash and boycott calls.
Musk's repeated pitch for a future built on AI, robotics, and self-driving tech has helped fuel investor enthusiasm and lift Tesla's stock since then, with the company gaining nearly 9% so far this year. Yet, the stock is still largely among the laggards in the 'Magnificent 7' group of mega-cap stocks.
"Near-term sentiment was always going to be fragile after the run-up over the past 6 months, so the relatively small pullback feels like a non-event by Tesla’s standards," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, who holds shares in Tesla.
Record EV sales helped Tesla beat third-quarter revenue estimates, fueled by a surge in U.S. buyers racing to secure expiring tax incentives. However, the phase-out of key tax credits is expected to dent demand for Tesla and other EV makers through the rest of the year.
To counter softening demand, Tesla launched stripped-down "Standard" variants of its Model Y and Model 3 earlier this month, cutting prices by up to $5,500.
Tesla's quarterly costs were further inflated by more than $400 million in Trump-exposed auto-part tariffs, Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja said, adding to pressure from expiring tax and regulatory credits.
Despite intensifying investor scrutiny, Tesla's latest report shed little light on the steep costs and uncertain timeline of its AI and self-driving ambitions.
Tesla's upcoming vote on Elon Musk's compensation could be pivotal in retaining him as the company's 'war-time' CEO, analysts have said.
(Reporting by Joel Jose in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Danilo Masoni in London; Editing by Amanda Cooper and Mrigank Dhaniwala)
