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In its newest report on the state of U.S. auto deliveries, Cox Automotive has reported that the month of April has been Tesla’s strongest this year. We’ll provide the details shortly, but as this article is written, Tesla’s stock price is also up 30% from its low point in early March. How do these facts jive with the hostile and bitter protests that peaked in April? And why would Tesla’s stock be going up along with U.S. deliveries if Tariffs were the threat we were all warned they would be?
Tesla April Deliveries In the U.S. Market
Cox Automotive’s Data Point report dated April 12th had some very interesting economic news for those following the U.S. auto industry. Year-over-year average transaction prices were up a bit, but lower than a typical year-over-year rise, and certainly lower than the overall rate of inflation. In total, nine brands showed price drops in April, and the largest family vehicle segment, the compact crossover/SUV segment (RAV4, CR-V, etc.), also had an ATP drop. The expected tariff impacts are muted at best, or simply not yet realized.
Tesla’s average transaction price went up, meaning that in April, Tesla was making more money on each vehicle sold. Here’s the fascinating part. Cybertruck was not the reason for the average price rise. In fact, Tesla is estimated by Cox to have delivered less than 2,000 units in April. Clearly, Cybertruck, like all EV trucks, is an abject failure in the U.S. market. However, since it was not a meaningful part of the product mix, it shows that Tesla’s other products were not only selling at a strong price, but one that was going up as protests raged.
In terms of deliveries, Tesla is estimated by Cox Automotive to have sold 45,000 vehicles in the U.S. in April. Cox reports that April was Tesla’s strongest month of deliveries of the year thus far. Proof that the anti-Elon protests had little or no impact on deliveries in April. At least by comparison to prior months this year.
April is the first month of Q2, so if we multiply 45,000 times three months, the quarter would have an estimated total U.S. delivery volume of around 135,000 units for the quarter. That isn’t terrible for Tesla in the U.S. The brand has had quarters of about this volume before recently.
Tesla’s Stock Has Risen Over the Past Month
Back in February, Torque News warned investors to check their TSLA exposure. Our spidey-sense was telling us the stock was about to take a major hit. We were correct, and after our warning, the stock value dove by 40% over a period of weeks. However, it then stopped going down around March 10th. Since that low point, the stock has risen 30%. What this means is that while anti-Tesla protests were at fever pitch in the U.S., the value of the stock was rising steadily. If that is not proof that investors are disregarding the noise from the fringe left, we can’t imagine what would be.
Our Take On Tariffs and Anti-Elon Protests
Your author would have expected much more damage to Tesla in the U.S. from the way the mass media portrayed the anti-Elon movement. Perhaps I was fooled by the camera angles, breathless reporting, and the sheer volume of the reporting? In addition, it’s hard to see how anyone would have predicted that Tesla’s delivery volume would go up hand in hand with a rise in average transaction prices. Perhaps the tariff mania the media is producing daily is not quite in synch with the day-to-day buying habits of American EV consumers? Finally, to me, the rise in Tesla’s stock value seems decoupled from any reality we can explain. Unless the institutional investors know something that the small fish in the big sea don’t. Maybe what the big investors know is that Tariffs look like they will not be the disaster the media is reporting, and that the ineffective protests are about to fizzle out?
What is your take on Tesla’s great month of April deliveries, according to Cox Automotive?
Do you think that the protests in the U.S. are having a big impact, and if so, what metrics would you point to to prove that they are? Please tell us in the comments below.
Here is the data source for this story.
Here is a data table that shows the ATP changes for every brand in America in April.
Top of page image representing sad protesters generated using Grok. Muskets against musk poster image taken by John Goreham.
John Goreham is a credentialed New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John’s by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ grammar and punctuation software when proofreading and he also uses image generation tools.
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Source: torquenews.com
