Tesla reports annual vehicle deliveries fall for second-straight year, Q4 results miss forecasts

Group 1: Vehicle Deliveries - In the fourth quarter, Tesla's total vehicle deliveries were 418,227, representing a 15% decline from 495,570 vehicles delivered in the same period last year [1] - For the full year, Tesla delivered 1.64 million vehicles, which is an 8% decrease compared to the previous year, marking the second consecutive year of annual sales declines [2] - Tesla's fourth quarter delivery total fell short of Wall Street forecasts, which were just under 423,000 vehicles [1][2] Group 2: Market Reactions and Analyst Insights - Following the delivery report, Tesla's stock rose about 1% early Friday, and it increased by 2% before the bell on the same day [1][2] - Some analysts speculated that Tesla's release of estimates was a strategy to mitigate the impact of a poor delivery report [3] - Despite the smaller-than-expected fleet size, the narrative around Tesla's robotaxi remains strong, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu [5] Group 3: Sales Performance and Future Outlook - Cox Automotive's Kelley Blue Book estimated that Tesla's US sales fell to 125,900 units in the fourth quarter, a decline of 22.4% [4] - Analysts are optimistic about Tesla's future, with Wedbush analyst Dan Ives naming Tesla as one of his top AI plays for 2026, highlighting the potential of full self-driving and autonomous penetration [6][7] - The upcoming year is viewed as significant for Tesla, with expectations of an AI-driven valuation increase over the next 6-9 months [7]