Jeep and Ram owner, Stellantis posted its first-half results Wednesday, showing a 24% rise in global EV sales. Ahead of its North American EV offensive, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the automaker’s margins were better than that of Tesla and General Motors.
Stellantis CEO calls out Tesla, GM over margins
Stellantis posted a record performance in the first half of 2023 with revenue, adjusted operating income, and net profit all up over last year.
Revenue rose 12% YOY to €98.4 billion ($109B), while net profit came in at €10.9 billion ($12B). Operating income, which many look at to determine profitability, was 14.1%.
Tavares told reporters, following the results, that Tesla is “entering my world the world of tight pricing, cost competitiveness, and the operational issues that a big company like ours may face,” according to Reuters.
Stellantis’s leader pointed out how Tesla’s “profitability moved from more than 17% in the first half of 2022 to 10.5% in the first half of 2023.”
As expected, Tesla’s operating margin fell in the second quarter due primarily to the price cuts throughout the first half of the year, in addition to costs associated with ramping 4680 cell production and increased expenses driven by the Cybertruck, AI, and other projects.
The EV leader’s operating margin has now fallen for three straight quarters, from a peak of 17.2% in Q3 2022 to 9.6% in the most recent quarter, which is still strong compared to the industry average.
Tavares claimed all automakers, including Tesla, would face competition from Chinese EV makers in their home markets. He said:
If we are racing for the bottom in terms of facing the Chinese with price cuts, Tesla will have problems with that strategy before we do, because we are more profitable than Tesla.
Tesla was not the only one, Tavares called out. He also mentioned General Motors, which posted margins of 8.3%.
Stellantis advances EV offensive to the US
Meanwhile, while Tesla continues setting new EV delivery records each quarter, Stellantis has yet to release its first all-electric car in the US.
Despite the success in the EU, the automaker’s first EVs will arrive in North America in the second half of the year, including the RAM ProMaster electric van and a New Fiat 500 EV.
Stellantis says the “BEV offensive” in North America will expand next year with eight new EV models. These include the Dodge Charge Daytona, Jeep Wagoneer S and Recon, and RAM 1500 REV electric pickup.
Tavares commented on the first-half results, saying:
Our outstanding performance in the first half of this year supports our long-term sustainability and our ability to achieve the bold ambitions of our Dare Forward 2030 plan.
Stellantis sold roughly 169,000 electric cars globally during the first half of the year, up 24% YOY, with several new products on the market.
The company says it now ranks third in overall EV sales and number one in commercial EV sales in the EU30.
Stellantis also recently revealed its STLA medium platform, which will be used to underpin future Jeep and Chrysler EVs featuring up to 435 miles (700km) of range with a performance pack.
City Dwellers’s Take
Despite Stellantis posting a higher margin in the first half of the year than Tesla, the company has a lot of work to do as it aims to reach 100% EV sales in Europe and 50% in the US by 2030.
As other automakers have shown, transitioning factories can be a major hurdle, with costly downtime and other expenses.
The US is Stellantis’s largest revenue driver, where it makes the most money. Tavares has previously mentioned he would likely need to expand its manufacturing footprint in the US and potentially even more in its domestic market.
This is not to mention the investments that will go into securing the EV supply chain to enable it to hit its targets, including batteries and software. All of this comes as EV makers from China continue expanding into key auto markets with low-priced, unique electric models.
For example, yesterday, China’s Geely Group revealed its first Radar R6 electric pickup trucks, which rolled off the assembly line for international markets. The Radar R6 starts at RMB 178,800 (roughly $25K) in China.
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