Tesla’s stock plummeted 14% in premarket trading as the affordable EV delay sparked a sector-wide selloff, with Morgan Stanley declaring “the end of easy EV growth.” The financial repercussions reveal deeper cracks in Tesla’s business model.
Immediate Market Impacts
- Tesla: 150 (-14%)
- EV Sector: Rivian -9%, Lucid -12%
- Suppliers: Panasonic -7%, Magna -5%
Five Financial Timebombs
- Margin Erosion: Model Y price cuts will shrink auto gross margin to 13% (from 18%)
- R&D Waste: $1.4B already spent on Redwood with nothing to ship
- Debt Wall: 900/share
- China Threat: BYD can produce EVs for $4,000 less per unit
- FSD Hype Fades: Robotaxi dreams can’t replace volume car sales
Analyst Bloodbath
- Goldman Sachs: “Growth story broken” (Cut to Sell)
- Bernstein: “Musk’s credibility crisis” ($120 PT)
- UBS: “BYD’s decade begins” (Sell China suppliers)
Credit Market Reactions
- CDS spreads widen to 380bps (junk territory)
- Bond yields spike to 8.7%
- Insurance costs on Tesla debt up 47%
Long-Term Projections
Scenario | 2026 EPS | Market Cap |
---|---|---|
Bull Case | $5.20 | $650B |
Base Case | $3.10 | $400B |
Bear Case | $1.40 | $180B |