特斯拉在周三宣布，其全球汽车与卡车销量在第三季度增长了6.4%，这是公司今年首次报告季度增长，同时也是一个迹象，表明随着利率下降，对电动汽车的需求可能正在复苏。
该汽车制造商从7月到9月期间交付了463,000辆车辆，相比去年同期的435,000辆有所上升，这为投资者带来了希望，即特斯拉的销售已经趋于稳定，并结束了此前半年的下滑。华尔街分析师预期特斯拉今年上半年汽车销售将增长6%。
通过在美国向符合条件的买家提供低至2.5%的融资服务以推动销量增长（低于市场利率），特斯拉在一定程度上促进了这一增长趋势。美联储于9月将其利率下调了0.5个百分点，这是预计的一系列降息中的首次，此后特斯拉能够提供更多更便宜的融资选择。欧洲、中国以及其他地区的中央银行也相继降低了利率。
影响汽车消费者决策的关键因素包括贷款利率而非只是车辆标价，因为利率决定了每月车贷支付额。因此，在美联储继续减息时，许多分析师认为美国等国家的汽车销售可能会增加。查尔斯·切斯鲍罗克是汽车研究公司Cox Automotive的一位资深经济学家，他表示，“可能会有一部分人认为现在不是花费5万美元购买新车的最佳时机。”他们可能选择等待几个月至选举结束后、中东局势平静后或是看到美联储进一步减息后再做决定。
尽管特斯拉面临的挑战依然存在，并且关于其战略的疑问依旧存在。虽然公司销售在占全球最大的汽车市场——中国的恢复情况良好，但中国市场竞争激烈，许多制造商都在此亏损或仅能微利运营。
而在欧洲，电动汽车销量下降主要源于德国削减了购买补贴政策后的结果。目前特斯拉仍依赖Model Y SUV和Model 3轿车两款车型进行大部分销售，并且与通用、现代-KIA等公司相比，他们提供更广泛的选择、更现代化的设计以及通常更低的价格点。
在销售上定价更高并难以吸引潜在买家方面，特斯拉面临的挑战还包括CEO埃隆·马斯克在X平台上做出的挑衅性言论和对其前美国总统唐纳德·特朗普及保守主义政策的支持。中央派与左翼消费者比保守主义者更倾向于购买电动汽车的可能性更大。
特斯拉将赌注押在其自主驾驶技术上，并对新车型计划少有透露信息。10月10日，该公司计划发布一款自动出租车，但分析人士对特斯拉是否如马斯克所述达到了无需人类干预就能导航的车辆的研发程度持怀疑态度。
有关特斯拉可能在同一天推出更便宜轿车的说法引起了人们的猜测，此举旨在扩大可负担起特斯拉产品的消费者群体。公司曾表示正在开发此类产品，但没有确认本月是否会展示该车型以及何时上市销售的消息。
新闻来源：www.nytimes.com
原文地址：Tesla Sales Increase, Suggesting Electric Car Demand Is Rebounding
新闻日期：2024-10-02
原文摘要：
Tesla said Wednesday that its global sales of cars and trucks rose 6.4 percent in the third quarter, the first quarterly increase the company has reported this year and a sign that demand for electric cars may be recovering as interest rates fall. The automaker delivered 463,000 vehicles from July through September, up from 435,000 a year earlier, offering hope to investors that the company’s sales have stabilized after falling in the first half of the year. Wall Street analysts had expected a 6 percent increase in Tesla car sales. Tesla boosted sales in part by offering 2.5 percent financing to qualified buyers in the United States, well below the market interest rate. It will be easier for the company, which is led by Elon Musk, to offer cheaper financing after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point in September, the first of what is expected to be a series of cuts. Central banks in Europe, China and elsewhere have also been lowering rates. Interest rates determine the size of monthly car payments and are often more important to buyers than sticker prices. That’s why many analysts think car sales in the United States in particular could rise as the Fed cuts rates more. “There is a contingent of folks who are going to say, ‘Now is not the right time to commit $50,000 to a new vehicle,’” said Charles Chesbrough, a senior economist at Cox Automotive, a research firm. “They may just decide to wait a few months until after the election, until after the Middle East calms down, until they see if the Fed cuts rates further.” Tesla’s share of electric car sales has fallen as rivals like General Motors, Hyundai, Ford Motor and BMW have offered more battery-powered models. But Tesla still accounts for almost half of electric car sales in the United States and sets the tone for the market here and in other countries. Sales of electric cars, while still growing, have fallen short of expectations and prompted G.M., Ford, Volvo and others to scale back or slow down investment in electric vehicle production. A rebound in Tesla’s sales could signal faster growth of electric models, a pillar of efforts by the Biden administration to fight climate change. On Tuesday, G.M. said sales of its electric models in the United States in the third quarter jumped 60 percent from a year earlier, to more than 32,000. The company’s U.S. sales of all vehicles fell about 2 percent in the quarter. Tesla still faces significant challenges and questions about its strategy. The company’s sales have recovered in China, the largest car market in the world. But the Chinese auto market is very competitive, and many automakers are losing money or earning meager profits there. In Europe, electric vehicle sales are slumping after Germany slashed subsidies for buyers. Tesla remains reliant on just two cars — the Model Y sport utility vehicle and the Model 3 sedan — for most of its sales, while rivals like G.M. and Hyundai-Kia offer more choices, newer designs and often lower prices. G.M.’s best-selling battery-powered model is a new electric version of the Chevrolet Equinox S.U.V. G.M. sold more than 9,700 in the third quarter, and this week started selling an entry-level model of that car that starts at $35,000 before federal and state breaks. The cheapest Tesla Model Y sells for about $45,000 before tax incentives. In addition to selling cars that are more expensive, Tesla appears to be struggling because Mr. Musk has alienated many potential buyers with his provocative statements on X, the social media site he owns, and his vocal support of former President Donald J. Trump and conservative causes. Centrist and left-leaning consumers are much more likely than conservatives to buy electric cars. Mr. Musk has staked the future of Tesla on autonomous driving, while saying little about plans for new models. On Oct. 10, the company plans to unveil a self-driving taxi, but analysts are skeptical that Tesla is as close as Mr. Musk says to developing a vehicle that can navigate without human intervention. There is speculation that Tesla will also unveil a cheaper passenger car on the same day, expanding the number of people who can afford a Tesla. The company has said it is working on a such a product, but has not confirmed that it will show the vehicle this month or when it might go on sale.
