Recent satellite images of Tesla’s Gigafactory outside Austin, Texas, depict the facility’s parking lots filled with unsold electric vehicles (EVs).
Knewz.com has learned of reports suggesting that this sighting speaks to a slowing demand due to improper leadership and growing competition.
The report, published by the Sherwood business and tech outlet, noted that for the first quarter of 2024, the EV empire produced 433,371 units, of which 386,810 were distributed creating an overage of 47,000 cars.
Corroborating the report are satellite images on the geospatial hub, Sky Fi.
Rana Molla, who first observed the discrepancy, compared snaps of the Austin site from a Thursday in October 2023 to the same day of the week in March 2024.
The two photos show that the units in the largest parking lot had increased by 1% while another bay to the left, saw an 8% drop in occupancy.
The parking lot below the main storage was a sixth of the latter’s size and went from 17% occupancy to 97% between October 2023 and March 2024.
Another facility where a significant accumulation of unsold Teslas was noted is the premises of the abandoned Chesterfield Mall in St Louis, Missouri.
A satellite image captured in October 2022 shows the bay empty while another aerial view photo of the site in 2024, showed 465 parked vehicles.
Molla also cites a YouTube documentary on Tesla’s facility in Fremont, California. Footage from the channel showcases a parking lot brimming with EVs.
Cumulatively, the stock at these facilities equates to double the excess seen in 2023 making it the company’s largest surplus to date.
According to Tesla’s CFO, Vaibhav Taneja, the reason for the latter is neither competition nor mismanagement.
He claimed that “the primary driver of this was an increase in inventory from a mismatch between builds.”
He continued to say that it would be short-lived. “We expect the inventory built to reverse in the second quarter and free cash flow to return to positive again.”
The dip in sales follows a slew of bad publicity leveled at Tesla’s Cybertruck. This vehicle was touted as the epitome of futurism but fell short of expectations in numerous areas.
One of the most salient disappointments experienced by Elon Musk fans and Cybertruck owners is the vehicle’s propensity to rust.
It appears that Tesla was aware of the car’s fragility before distribution and in their attempt to avert the issue, included a long cautionary list in its user manual.
Said manual warned owners against certain car shampoos, washing the vehicle in direct sunlight, or using hot water.
It further advised that dead insects, bird droppings, tree sap, grease, oil, tar, and road salt be removed from the car immediately, per the Tesla owner’s manual.
Currently, the option of sending the vehicle for an aftermarket protective coating does exist, Shop Tesla, but it will set the customer back $6,500.
The post Satellite Images Reveal Massive Stockpile of Tesla’s Unsold Cars appeared first on Knewz.
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Author: Dave Malyon
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