Publication date: November 14, 2024

Tesla is one of the most appealing international stocks for many investors. Its popular cars and highly flamboyant CEO, Elon Musk, attract media attention almost daily, especially when it was recently announced that Musk would be on the staff of incoming President Donald Trump.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the brand and the person, as there is much to report about both. Later, we will discuss the stock's outlook and opportunities for us as investors.

What is Tesla Inc.?

Tesla, Inc., founded in 2003, is an American company that produces electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and solar energy products. Named after inventor Nikola Tesla, the company's mission is to accelerate the global transition to renewable energy.

Tesla's product line includes the Model S (luxury sedan), Model 3 (affordable sedan), Model X (SUV) and Model Y (compact SUV). In addition, Tesla has announced the Cybertruck and the new Roadster. By the first half of 2024, the Tesla Model Y will be the best-selling car worldwide.

In addition to vehicles, Tesla offers energy solutions such as the Powerwall (home battery), Powerpack and Megapack (large-scale energy storage), and solar panels for residential and commercial use.

Tesla operates in the Netherlands with multiple service centers and Supercharger locations across the country. Dutch customers can order Tesla vehicles through its official website and use its extensive charging infrastructure.

In the third quarter of 2024, Tesla delivered 462,890 vehicles, up 6.4% from the same period last year. Although this was below market expectations, Tesla remains a major player in the electric car market.

Tesla is working on fully autonomous vehicles and has announced plans to launch a driverless vehicle before 2027. This underscores Tesla's focus on innovation and the future of transportation.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa. He holds South African, Canadian, and American citizenship. Musk is best known as the founder and CEO of SpaceX, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc., and owner of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Musk moved to Canada at the age of 17 and studied at Queen's University in Kingston. He later earned degrees in economics and physics from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1995, he and his brother Kimbal founded the software company Zip2, which was acquired by Compaq in 1999 for $307 million.

In 1999, Musk founded X.com, an online payment service that later merged with Confinity and was renamed the now-famous PayPal. In 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion.

In 2002, Musk founded SpaceX, a space company focused on developing reusable rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX has achieved several milestones, including becoming the first private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS).

Musk joined Tesla in 2004 as an investor and chairman and later became CEO and product architect.

Finally, Musk founded Neuralink in 2016. A company focused on developing brain-computer interfaces. In the same year, he started The Boring Company, which deals with tunneling and infrastructure projects.

Lately, Musk was appointed head of the new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, with the goal of reducing bureaucracy and optimizing government spending.

According to Forbes, Musk will be the richest person in the world by November 2024, with an estimated wealth of $308 billion. This is an increase of tens of billions of US Dollars in a short period. This increase is attributed to the rise in Tesla shares following the re-election of Donald Trump, which Musk reportedly backed with about $100 million.

Musk has ten children from various relationships. His personal life and political views have regularly drawn attention, including his support for Donald Trump and his criticism of progressive social movements.

So much background and now on to Tesla's achievements under Musk's leadership.

What has Tesla's stock performed?

Below is Tesla's chart for the past 5 years. You can immediately see the huge volatility and gigantic performance. Tesla has posted a price gain of about 1,850% on a basis over the past 5 years. Half of this gain has been made in the last 3 months.

In addition, you can also see a huge percentage drop in 2022. So investors have already been through a lot but are always rewarded. At the bottom of the chart, you can see for comparison the performance of the world's most popular car brand for the time being Volkswagen ( -/- 52%), global player Toyota (+25%) and the AEX (+49%). Given the volatility and performance, we may well call Tesla flamboyant.

What is Tesla's fundamental forecast?

Fundamentally, Tesla recently announced ambitious plans and forecasts for the coming years. Elon Musk predicts 20% to 30% growth in vehicle deliveries for 2025, totaling 2.1 to 2.3 million vehicles. Tesla also unveiled the Cybercab, a fully autonomous cab with no steering wheel or pedals. Production is expected to start before 2027. In addition to the Cybercab, Tesla has plans for the Robovan, an electric autonomous bus with a capacity of up to 20 passengers.

Fundamental analysts, however, are divided on Tesla's future share price. Some predict an average share price of $590 by 2025. Others are more cautious and point to potential challenges, such as increasing competition and market saturation. Indeed, there has been declining growth in global demand for electric vehicles for some time. Moreover, new players are entering the market, which may lead to price pressure and reduced market shares.

Despite the normal challenges faced by the company, we should not forget that under Donald Trump, Elon Musk will most likely get all the cooperation he needs to keep Tesla thriving, and foreign competition will start to struggle due to strict import policies.