We will get to Tesla’s numbers in a minute but it’s important to note just how important Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) can be in the future. Beyond that fact that its co-founder is Iron Man, Tony Stark, or Robert Downey Jr., Tesla has a vision and a business model reminiscent of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its good years, the iPod til’ now years. Both companies have a direction, given the guidance of men who were/are both iconic and visionary. While Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may be struggling of late, they remain, well, Apple. Elon Musk, on the other hand, makes us think that he’s just coming into his stride and we really don’t know what the future holds not only for Tesla but in any of his future endeavors.
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) just announced its first quarter of profitability while enjoying a near perfect review of its Model S in Consumer Reports (July publishing date). Something that most analysts believe will become commonplace. They have everything in place.
Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) posted earnings of $0.12 for 1Q13, while bringing down R&D costs. Deutsche Bank AG (ETR:DBK) (FRA:DBK) (NYSE:DB) had only expected earnings of $0.02 for the quarter. Revenue gains were more than expected at $70 million for the quarter and Tesla impressed with higher than expected deliveries of the Model S.
While Tesla maintains a fair degree of downside risk, more and more analysts are suggesting that investors “hold” Tesla. This is up markedly from the majority of analysts who didn’t value Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) that high just six months ago.
The financials of Tesla remain tenuous. But faith in Elon Musk continues to grow. Tesla will never be Apple but it is not afraid of Apple and Steve Jobs’ vision before Apple’s turnaround. Tesla might resemble Apple, but they are also not afraid of Google. By licensing its tech to its competitors, in the same way that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) gives Android away to every phone-maker in the world, Tesla is in an interesting position.
Mercedes will launch the B-Class Electric Drive, a tiny electric hatchback with a range of 115 miles between charges. That’s more than many other electric cars, including the Nissan Leaf, which tops out at around 80 miles. This is only made possible by Tesla’s willingness to license its battery technology.
Porsche in its heyday never enjoyed such a positive outlook on its growth. Analyst’s expect Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) revenue for the year to come in at $1.8 billion this year with $2.2 in sales expected in fiscal 2014.
