Tesla beats delivery forecasts, but sales still slip from a year ago
Tesla delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter. China's BYD, meanwhile, more than doubled its overseas sales in September.
Tesla delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter, well above Wall Street's expectations but 2% fewer than a year earlier.
Tesla delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter, the company said on Friday, comfortably beating Wall Street's forecasts even as sales fell from a year earlier.
The total was about 5% above the company-compiled analyst consensus of 461,974, but 2% below the record 497,099 Tesla delivered in the same period of 2025. It was up about 1% from the second quarter.
The numbers show a company holding up better than feared in a tougher US market. Demand has weakened since federal tax credits for electric vehicles ended in October 2025, while sales in Europe have grown, the Seoul Economic Daily reported.
Tesla shares rose about 5% on Friday.
Expectations had fallen sharply going into the report. Goldman Sachs cut its forecast by 55,000 vehicles and JPMorgan by 34,000 after a weak August, when Tesla's US sales fell 26% from a year earlier, according to Electrek.
Tesla built 464,391 vehicles in the quarter, about 22,000 fewer than it delivered, meaning it sold cars out of inventory. The Model 3 and Model Y accounted for 478,237 deliveries, with 8,295 from other models.
The company's energy business fell short. Tesla deployed 13.7 gigawatt-hours of battery storage, below the 15.9 gigawatt-hours analysts expected. The company does not break down deliveries by region.
"Thank you to all of our customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders and supporters who helped us achieve these results," Tesla said in its release.
In China, BYD reported its best month of the year. The company sold 463,561 new-energy vehicles in September, up about 17% from a year earlier, according to CnEVPost.
The growth came from abroad. BYD's overseas sales jumped about 154% to roughly 180,700 vehicles, almost 40% of its total, while sales at home fell about 13% amid fierce price competition. For the year so far, BYD's sales are down about 4%.
The divergence underlines how Chinese automakers are turning to foreign markets as their home market becomes saturated, putting more pressure on Western rivals.
Tesla will hold an event for its Roadster sports car on October 15 and is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on October 21.