Tesla Cutting Prices of Several Models

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Facts

• Elon Musk-owned electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla on Saturday announced it's cutting around a third off the price of its 'Full Self Driving' system from $12K to $8K in the latest sign the company is facing an uphill battle to thrive.¹
• The cut in price of the 'Full Self Driving' system — which contrary to its name doesn't drive the car itself — comes a day after Tesla announced it was cutting $2K off the price of three of its US models — the Model X, Model Y and Model S.¹
• Price cuts were also made to the Model 3 in China and Germany, in addition to cuts in other countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.²
• Tesla reportedly had a rare year-over-year decline when it produced more than 433K EVs in the latest quarter but delivered around 387K. The company will announce its first quarter earnings Tuesday after markets close.³
• This comes as Tesla is in the midst of a price war with other EV makers, especially those in China. Tesla also last week announced plans to lay off 10% of its global staff, and it had to recall thousands of Cybertrucks because of safety issues.⁴

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Independent, ³USA Today and ⁴BBC News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Forbes. The sky seems to be falling for what was once Musk's business crown jewel. The price cuts, layoffs, and recalls have continued Tesla's dismal slide, during which its value has decreased and sales have dropped. With a bruising earnings report expected out this week, Musk can't seem to figure out how to stop this tailspin.
• Narrative B, as provided by Barrons. It's been a tough week for Tesla — and the week ahead may be rough too — but there are signs of hope because of a possible increase in demand for an updated Model 3 and the potential Musk will soon announce a lower-priced Model 2, which could be extremely popular. Tesla is trying to price its EVs to better fit US budgets, and it's getting there.

Predictions