Finally, a Little Good News for Tesla Investors

After years of being a high-flying stock with strong sales growth, it could be argued this is the worst investors have felt about Tesla (TSLA -5.06%) ever. While the EV maker still dominates the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) market in overall volume and market share, it also posted its first-ever global sales decline in 2024. On the bright side, there was a little good news for investors recently regarding the controversial Cybertruck. Officially a flop? It's been a rough go for the company's newest vehicle, especially considering CEO Elon Musk previously noted the automaker expected to produce between 250,000 and 500,000 Cybertrucks per year, which would challenge even traditional gasoline-powered trucks. And while the Cybertruck has fallen far, far short of those expectations, there was a bit of good news regarding the controversial truck when it announced the base trim would now be available for just over $72,000. Currently, the three-motor Cyberbeast trim is at the top when it comes to pricing, starting at nearly $106,000 with shipping and order fee. It's roughly a $10,000 drop in price compared to the current all-wheel drive trim, and a little closer to the $60,990 Tesla said it would cost before shipping. Remember, originally when the Cybertruck was presented in 2019, it came with a promised price tag of just under $40,000. The new lower-cost version will strip out features such as all-wheel drive, the rear light bar, and air suspension, among other smaller changes. Further, removing the front motor from the all-wheel drive version will put its range up to 350 miles compared to the current version at 325 miles -- and it charges a bit faster, too. The increased range, charge speed, and lower price could help spur sales activity for a model that has drastically disappointed investors and consumers alike. What would success look like? It's pretty clear investors can knock the previous expectations down a notch, or two, but what would success look like if the lower-price Cybertruck gains some traction? One would have to start by looking at rival Ford Motor Company and its F-150 Lightning. During the first quarter, Ford sold 7,187 F-150 Lightnings, compared to an estimated 6,406 Cybertrucks, per Cox Automotive. While the gap between the two seems narrow, the Cybertruck would really need to double its sales consistently to be considered a success -- and that's still a long way away from original expectations. What could be of interest to investors is that this could be the first step in the company's larger lower-price strategy. According to analysts, Tesla is rumored to be working on more stripped-down versions of the popular Model 3 sedans and Model Y crossovers for 2025. The lower-priced models will have their work cut out to reverse recent brand damage. "This is our first look at the impact of recent brand damage -- and it appears to be the primary driver behind this quarter's delivery decline," Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, according to Reuters. "These growth rates will likely deteriorate further this quarter." Munster went on to predict a 9% decline in deliveries for 2025, with an aging lineup, recent political backlash, and increasing competition driving the decline. All that said, Tesla will have its chance to repair its brand damage, even if not overnight, and lower-priced vehicles could provide a small jolt to the company's deliveries. 2025 might set up to be another disappointing year for the automaker, but if it can freshen its lineup, repair brand damage, and follow through on its many ambitions, brighter days should remain ahead.