Elon Musk Is Running Out Of Ideas To Save Tesla
www.forbes.com
He's dialing down his DOGE role but Tesla needs a new hit EV and none is on the horizon. And the company’s booming battery business will suffer from Trump’s tariffs.

Summary

Tesla reported its worst quarterly results in four years, with Q1 income down 71% and EV sales falling 13%.

Elon Musk vowed to refocus on Tesla amid backlash over his political role in the Trump Administration’s DOGE program, but analysts doubt his return will fix worsening issues.

Tesla faces eroding market share, failed products like the Cybertruck, and a coming 145% tariff on imported Chinese battery cells set to hammer the company’s battery pack business, one of the only bright spots last quarter.

Musk’s pivot to robotaxis and humanoid robots lacks credibility, and critics say Tesla has no compelling new EVs to revive growth.

    • IphtashuFitz@lemmy.worldEnglish
      19·
      7 hours ago

      Way too late for that. Too many potential customers will now never buy a Tesla as long as he’s associated with the brand in any way. About the only option he has to try to save the brand is to sever all ties with the company and walk away. But his ego will never allow that.

      • buddascrayon@lemmy.world
        3·
        3 hours ago

        Honestly I think the real nail in the coffin for that company would be if another company like BYD came in and started selling their EVs on the market. Cause unlike Tesla they make decent cars at affordable prices.

      • piecat@lemmy.world
        6·
        6 hours ago

        I would buy a tesla, but only if they fire/disown musk, undo every trace of him, and do a complete 180 politically. Oh and make the cars suck way less.

        • IphtashuFitz@lemmy.worldEnglish
          6·
          6 hours ago

          Even in a very optimistic timeline it would take years for Tesla cars to suck less. I don’t think Tesla has that kind of time any more, now that there’s growing competition from big automakers like Honda & Toyota as well as Hyundai, Volkswagen, etc. and all the other EV companies like Rivian.

          Those established automakers have a long history of innovating & listening to customers. As their expansion into the EV market grows, they’re going to put a lot of pressure on Tesla to innovate as well, and that doesn’t mean bowing to whatever whims the CEO has.

          • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works
            11·
            3 hours ago

            Likely correct on paragraph 1, paragraph 2… not so much.

            The reason tesla was able to get such a foothold was because they were innovating where the established automakers were floundering.

            • piecat@lemmy.world
              1·
              35 minutes ago

              In defense of the established automakers, they wisened up and got into the EV market before it was too late. They adapted instead of becoming the next Blockbuster or Kodak.

              Any advantage that Tesla had is long gone.