--- type: "Topics" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/topics/40117658.md" description: "TSLA 1Q26 First Take: Headline-strong print, with revenue, GPM, and net income beating consensus by a wide margin. However, multiple one-off factors contributed to the beat.Even after stripping them out, the core auto biz still outperformed the Street’s low bar. ① Revenue: Beat ex-FX, driven by higher ASPsQ1 revenue was $22.4bn (+16% YoY), well ahead of the $20.7–20.9bn consensus.There was an estimated ~$0.9bn positive FX impact; ex-FX, adj. revenue was $21.5bn, still above expectations.The outperformance was mainly driven by an auto ASP rebound QoQ after several quarters of declines.Services & other revenue also grew 42% YoY.② Margin: Headline print flattered by multiple one-offsGPM was 21.1%, well above the 16.9% consensus, led by upside in auto and energy storage.Below the line, autos booked a ~$230mn warranty reserve reversal and storage recognized ~$250mn in tariff subsidies, with an additional ~$200mn FX gain.Ex these items, underlying GPM was 18.7%.That is down 140bps vs. last quarter’s 20.1% peak but still above consensus.Core auto GPM ex-regulatory credits printed at 19.2% vs. 15.3% expected.Ex one-offs, underlying core auto margin was ~17.5%, slightly below last quarter’s 17.9% yet meaningfully above expectations.Dolphin Research believes a QoQ ASP uptick and higher recognition of high-margin FSD were key supports.These offset higher per-unit depreciation from lower volumes and rising upstream raw material costs.③ Cash flow: Growth covered spend; FCF turned positiveDespite elevated AI spend (in-house AI chips, Optimus, FSD) and higher SBC pushing up S&M and R&D QoQ, top-line and margin beats, coupled with no spike in capex, drove Q1 FCF to +$1.4bn.This net inflow was far better than the expected outflow.That said, autos are increasingly a cash-flow support rather than the core narrative.The market’s real focus is whether AI milestones are slipping and whether cash flows are sustainable amid heavy investment. ① Optimus: The V3 debut shifted from the prior 1Q timeline to mid-2026.Elon Musk said small-batch production could start in late Jul or Aug in Fremont, but the ramp will be slow, with meaningful volumes only next year. ② Robotaxi: The company remains cautious on launching unsupervised Robotaxi service.It has expanded to Dallas and Houston and aims to operate in ~10 states by year-end, but Musk noted this year’s related revenue will not be ‘super meaningful’.He expects it to become meaningful and significant next year. ③ FSD: Unsupervised features are expected to begin rolling out to the customer fleet in Q4 2026.Deployment will proceed only where specific geographies are deemed demonstrably safe.Capex and cash flow pressure:The 2026 capex guide was raised from ‘over $20bn’ to ‘over $25bn’, to support six new facilities (incl. lithium refining, Cybercab, Optimus) and AI compute infrastructure.While cash and investments remain ample at >$44bn, at a >$25bn/yr capex run-rate current cash covers less than two years of high-intensity spend.The ambitious AI roadmap must translate into tangible revenue and cash flow soon, or the company could face financing pressure. $Tesla(TSLA.US)" datetime: "2026-04-23T00:27:12.000Z" locales: - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/topics/40117658.md) - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/topics/40117658.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/topics/40117658.md) author: "[Dolphin Research](https://longbridge.com/en/news/dolphin.md)" --- # TSLA 1Q26 First Take: Headline-strong print, with … ### Related Stocks - [TSLA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLA.US.md) - [OPTI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/OPTI.US.md) - [TSLL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSLL.US.md) - [TSDD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSDD.US.md) - [TSL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/TSL.US.md) ## Comments (5) - **新用户_aeBj4 · 2026-04-23T02:13:34.000Z**: It's just a piece of trash - **Amazing妙 · 2026-04-23T00:44:23.000Z**: The power of faith! - **或许等待nsnsmd · 2026-04-23T00:37:13.000Z · 👍 1**: Tesla, the future is promising. - **我的最爱** (2026-04-23T00:41:27.000Z): That's a coin (or more). - **LIYI787** (2026-04-23T04:33:20.000Z): The big coin is slowly becoming a reality, not the 'big coin' that's coming back next week.