Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) researcher Troy Teslike is of the opinion that the Cybertruck will likely not be profitable in the fourth quarter given the company has begun selling the regular versions of the vehicle instead of the Foundation series.
What Happened: Cybertruck production achieved a positive gross margin for the first time in the third quarter.
According to Teslike, Tesla made it happen by selling the foundation series, a move he terms "clever." The foundation series refers to a limited and pricier edition of the Cybertruck with laser-etched foundation series badges and premium accessories. The company sold only the foundation series until a few months back but has now commenced selling the regular versions of the vehicle.
In Q3, over 40% of the Cybertrucks sold by Tesla were the higher-end Cyberbeast variant of the foundation series Cybertruck with an average selling price of about $122,000, says Teslike.
"It appears that Tesla pushed some performance Cybertruck (foundation series Cyberbeast variant) deliveries from Q2 to Q3 to achieve profitability," he said. "The Cybertruck likely won't be profitable in Q4 because they are now selling the regular version with a $20,000 lower ASP than the Foundation Series," he added.
While the foundation series Cybertruck had a starting price of about $100,000, the regular series Cybertruck starts at about $80,000.
Why It Matters: According to data from automotive research company Kelley Blue Book, Tesla sold 16,692 Cybertrucks in the third quarter in the U.S., trumping EV trucks from rivals including the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Rivian R1T, to become the third best-selling EV behind Model Y and Model 3.
Cybertruck's delivery numbers also trumped Tesla's deliveries of its more premium Model S sedan and Model X SUV.
Earlier this month, the EV giant opened the option to lease a Cybertruck in the U.S. for three years for as low as $999/month.