Tesla shareholders are bracing themselves for the carmaker’s worst performance in seven years in quarterly results this week, as it wrestles with slowing demand and a brutal price war.
But they also want to know whether Elon Musk’s company is in the midst of a major change in direction, after reports that it was slowing plans for a cheaper $25,000 electric car — known unofficially as the Model 2 — in favour of focusing on self-driving “robotaxis”.
Musk has denied there has been any change in plan on the Model 2, but has also said that focusing on autonomy was “a blindingly obvious move” and last week announced that a Tesla robotaxi would launch on August 8.