2020 was just the beginning for Tesla

A few years ago, some people might question whether new energy vehicles can really replace fuel vehicles and become the mainstream of the automotive market in the future. However, as various countries announce the timing of the ban on the sale of fuel vehicles and their policy support for the new energy industry, there is no doubt that new energy vehicles have become one of the hottest topics at present.

It can also be seen from the data released by CPCA that electric vehicles are coming on fiercely and unstoppable. From January to December 2020, the annual cumulative sales of new energy vehicles reached 1.247 million, a year-on-year increase of 14.6%. We must know that in 2020, the global economy will be affected by the epidemic, and total car sales will fall by 15%, but new energy models have grown against the wind and outperformed the market with a growth rate of over 10%.

Since its birth, Tesla has been controversial and has struggled to become a hot enterprise today. It has become the pioneer of new energy vehicles. It is difficult for Tesla to ignore whether it is the auto market or the capital market.

In 2020, the brand sold a total of 499,500 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 35.73%. Among them, Model3 and Model Y became sales leaders. This achievement is only one step away from the 500,000 sales target set by Tesla CEO Elon Musk earlier this year.

The strong sales growth last year was mainly due to the domestically produced Model 3, whose price in the Chinese market was lowered to 250,000 yuan, which was sought after by consumers. CPCA data show that in 2020, Tesla Model3 sold 137,400 vehicles in China, becoming the champion of new energy vehicle sales in China last year.

The domestically produced Tesla promotes sales to a new stage, and at the same time firmly occupy the first position in China's new energy market. This powerful competitor has made new car manufacturers and traditional car companies feel a crisis. Other car companies must not only control product prices, but also continuously improve their quality and competitiveness to break the existing pattern.

In the face of an eye-catching opponent, Tesla made further moves. On the first day of the new year, the domestic Tesla Model Y went on the market with an entry price of 339,900 yuan. The previous price was 488,000 yuan, which was lower than market expectations by 148,100 yuan. After the new car is listed, it means that Tesla has realized the "dual-vehicle" strategy of cars and SUVs in China, further boosting sales growth. It is reported that within 10 hours after the price of Tesla's domestic Model Y was announced, the number of orders soared to more than 100,000.

The arrival of Model 3 has made it a bit difficult for my country's independent brands to catch up. Chinese consumers have preferred SUV models in recent years, and Model Y prices have dropped, further increasing the pressure on my country's new energy vehicle companies. According to CITIC Securities, the domestically produced Tesla Model Y is expected to sell more than 180,000 vehicles in China in 2021.

Tesla, which has been on the verge of life and death several times, has never achieved full-year profitability since its establishment in 2003. On January 28, Tesla announced its 2020 financial report data. The net profit reached 721 million US dollars. This is the first full-year profit for Tesla in 17 years.

2020 is a memorable year for Tesla. Not only did sales and profits rose strongly, but its performance in the capital market was also surprising. Last year, Tesla's share price skyrocketed, with an increase of more than 700% during the year, and Tesla CEO Musk became the world's richest man.

On January 26, Eastern time, Tesla's stock price continued to hit a new high, closing at $883.09, closing up 0.26%, and its market value reached $837.082 billion. Its market value has long surpassed Facebook, and it firmly occupies the top seat of global auto companies by market value, becoming the fifth listed company in the United States by market value.

Such a fast-growing company has mixed opinions from outsiders. Some institutions believe that its stock and the market are overvalued, but some analysts believe that Tesla's valuation does not stop there. Recently, top Wall Street analyst Colin Rusch raised Tesla's target price to $1,036, which is a very large increase compared to the $550 previously given.

Regarding Tesla’s change of its previous attitude, some foreign media believe that this is largely due to the expected potential of the brand’s fully self-driving (FSD) technology in the future.

Last year, Tesla CEO Musk announced a news on the social platform that Tesla is about to release a new FSD software that will allow Tesla vehicles to achieve "non-intervention" autonomous driving.

This means that in the latest test version, Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD autonomous driving can navigate in and out of the highway without any driver action. It can also identify technologies such as stop signs and traffic lights on the road.

Not long ago, Musk said in an interview at the beginning of the year that the FSD function is planned to be launched at the end of 2021 and will eventually be provided to users outside the Beta version. This clearly shows that Tesla will truly realize L5 autonomous driving.

After the announcement, John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo, an autonomous driving company, said in an interview with foreign media that Tesla's fully autonomous driving is fooling people.

It is important to know that the current car models that the car companies say are equipped with automatic driving, which are generally at the L2 level. There are many technical problems that need to be overcome to achieve true fully automatic driving. Tesla's FSD can be said to be a revolutionary development.

For battery electric vehicles, the inevitable topic is battery life. On last year’s Battery Day, Musk mentioned that the cost of Tesla’s battery per kilowatt hour in the future will be much less than $100, which will directly solve the current high cost of electric vehicles and further enhance the brand’s price advantages.

Tesla brought a brand new 4680 electrodeless battery at the press conference, with a diameter of 46mm and a length of 80mm. Through the electrodeless design, its energy density is 5 times higher than that of the 2170 battery currently used. The cruising range is expected an increase of about 16%.

At the same time, in the face of increasing sales and solving the situation of short supply, Tesla expanded the production capacity of its Shanghai factory. According to media reports, Shanghai Super Factory plans to produce about 550,000 vehicles in 2021, including 300,000 Model 3 models and 250,000 Model Y, of which about 100,000 new vehicles will be planned for export. It is reported that Tesla has already issued orders to core component suppliers.

Summary: The rise of Tesla is like a spoiler. It has not only crushed the new forces in car-making, but also brought heavy pressure to the old traditional car companies such as BMW and Volkswagen. Facing the continuous expansion of new energy market share, Tesla is bound to launch a fierce offensive on the Chinese market. From the current point of view, new car-making forces represented by NIO and Li Auto are also growing rapidly, gaining some loyal users. In the future, whether Tesla will dominate the world or a rising star will break the market structure, it will take more time to wait for the market to test.