\n<\/p>\n
Tesla sold<\/a> more than 480,000 EVs in the third quarter, as the company continues finding ways to move new cars despite its troubles in the U.S. market. <\/p>\n It was the second strong quarter in a row for Tesla after a somewhat rough start to the year. The sales figure easily beat out consensus estimates<\/a> from Wall Street and topped even the most optimistic view<\/a> for the company, which made its 10 millionth vehicle earlier this year<\/a>. <\/p>\n The company said Friday morning that it built 464,391 vehicles in the quarter and delivered more than 486,532. That\u2019s an increase of roughly 6,000 vehicle deliveries compared to the second quarter<\/a>. But sales were still down from the same period last year, when Tesla delivered 497,000 vehicles. That quarter \u2014 Tesla\u2019s best ever \u2014 was helped by a rush of U.S. buyers<\/a> who were looking to take advantage of an expiring federal tax credit.<\/p>\n Before Friday\u2019s numbers were released, Tesla\u2019s sales were down nearly 20% year-over-year in the U.S. market, according to Cox Automotive<\/a>.<\/p>\n That drop has been the result of a number of factors. Tesla has not released any new consumer models in years \u2014 with the exception of the Cybertruck, which has been a commercial flop. Potential buyers have also balked because of Elon Musk\u2019s personal support of Donald Trump\u2019s presidential campaign and his role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency, which laid off thousands of workers and canceled international aid funding.<\/p>\n Tesla has looked to other markets to make up for lost U.S. sales. The company\u2019s sales are on the rise again in Europe<\/a>, where EVs are more widely adopted and supported by tighter emissions regulations. Tesla is reportedly expanding capacity at its factory in Germany<\/a> to meet that demand. The company has also seen continued strong sales out of its factory in China<\/a> despite competition in the region, with some of those sales driven by Tesla looking to newer markets<\/a> like Japan, Australia, and Lithuania.<\/p>\n Despite the rebound in overall momentum, sales have become something of a taboo subject for Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is increasingly focused on the company\u2019s other efforts. Perhaps the biggest example is the Cybercab, which Tesla started putting on the roads of Austin, Texas in recent weeks. The two-seater EV has been giving autonomous rides to passengers despite having no driver, steering wheel, or pedals<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tesla also recently launched the production version of its electric big rig, nearly a decade after it was first introduced<\/a>. The company aims to make roughly 50,000 Tesla Semi vehicles per year.<\/p>\n Other new efforts are in the works, but don\u2019t have firm commercial timelines. The second-generation Roadster is set to be re-revealed on October 15 after years of delays, though it\u2019s not clear when it will get built. Tesla is also developing the Optimus humanoid robot, but has repeatedly pushed back its timeline. Earlier this week, Tesla announced it had secured up to $30 billion in new lines of credit to support these projects<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n