• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure

2

The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire

3

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

1

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure

2

The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire

3

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Tech

Tesla motors to big sales, but widening losses

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 6, 2015, 5:58 PM ET
Courtesy of Tesla

Tesla Motors, the electric car company run by billionaire Elon Musk, said its first-quarter revenue grew by more than 50%. But the company’s losses also increased year-over-year. Here are the key points from Wednesday’s earnings release.

What you need to know: Tesla posted quarterly revenue of $939.9 million, a gain of nearly 52% over the same period last year. However, Tesla also reported a loss of $154 million in the quarter, or $1.22 per share, which is more than three times the $49.8 million loss the company posted in last year’s first quarter.

Excluding certain costs, Tesla reported $1.1 billion in profits. By that measure, it outpaced analyst predictions of $1.04 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.

The company said Wednesday that its first-quarter numbers include a $22 million hit due to foreign currency headwinds while the cost of its revenues increased by 46% year-over-year, to $679 million. Tesla’s shares (TSLA) rose more than 2% in after-hours trading to $235.99.

The big number: As usual, most of Tesla’s revenue came from automotive sales, which were also up 52%, to $893 million. The company delivered 10,045 of its Model S vehicles during the first quarter, a 55% increase year-over-year. That total also tops the preliminary estimate of 10,030 cars Tesla put out last month.

In a letter to shareholders, CEO Musk and CFO Deepak Ahuja said Tesla expects to produce 12,500 vehicles in the current quarter while delivering between 10,000 and 11,000 vehicles. The company said it remains on pace to deliver roughly 55,000 cars in 2015. Some of that full-year delivery total is expected to come from sales of the new Model X SUV, which will start shipping at the end of the third quarter.

What you might have missed: Tesla made waves last month when it announced a new product line: battery products for homes and businesses for storing solar energy. The company didn’t offer much in the way of information about its new grid battery products in the press release Wednesday. Musk and Ahuja wrote in the shareholder letter that the potential market size for the batteries “is enormous and much easier to scale globally than vehicle sales.”

The company added that production of the batteries will begin at Tesla’s Fremont, Calif. factory before expanding at the beginning of next year to the Tesla Gigafactory, the $5 billion facility for producing lithium-ion batteries that is under construction in Nevada.

For more about Tesla, watch this Fortune video:

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

andrew macdonald
AITech
Uber burned through its entire 2026 AI budget in four months. Now its COO is questioning whether it’s worth it
By Jake AngeloMay 26, 2026
3 minutes ago
Pope Leo XIV presenting his 'AI encyclical' at the Vatican in Rome. The Pope, dressed in white, is sitting in a large chair with a laptop open in front of him and flowers arranged on the table in front of the laptop,
NewslettersEye on AI
Pope Leo’s ‘AI encyclical’ says a lot. But critics say it misses the mark
By Jeremy KahnMay 26, 2026
38 minutes ago
n
InvestingMarkets
Goldman Sachs just ran some ugly numbers on the SaaSPocalypse—and found hedge funds are dumping software and piling into semis
By Nick LichtenbergMay 26, 2026
1 hour ago
Coinbase pushes further into AI payments with new MCP for Base network
CryptoCoinbase
Coinbase pushes further into AI payments with new MCP for Base network
By Jeff John RobertsMay 26, 2026
2 hours ago
Bill Winters, chief executive officer of Standard Chartered
SuccessJobs
Standard Chartered CEO apologizes for calling some workers ‘lower value human capital’ in AI push
By Emma BurleighMay 26, 2026
2 hours ago
sa
Politicsimpeachment
How $580,000 hidden under a sofa cushion became a constitutional crisis in South Africa
By Gerald Imray and The Associated PressMay 26, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
Travel & Leisure
The U.S. campaigned to host the World Cup. Now soccer fans will trade their countries' train system for the U.S.'s 'D' rated infrastructure
By Catherina GioinoMay 25, 2026
1 day ago
The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire
Economy
The pig in the python: Baby Boomers are strangling the economy they built by refusing to move or retire
By Nick LichtenbergMay 25, 2026
1 day ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
5 days ago
A billionaire and an A-list actor found refuge in a 37-home Florida neighborhood with armed guards—proof that privacy is now the ultimate luxury
Real Estate
A billionaire and an A-list actor found refuge in a 37-home Florida neighborhood with armed guards—proof that privacy is now the ultimate luxury
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 25, 2026
1 day ago
Elon Musk's best friend could make more than $100 billion from SpaceX's IPO. His firm is also owed billions by SpaceX
Investing
Elon Musk's best friend could make more than $100 billion from SpaceX's IPO. His firm is also owed billions by SpaceX
By Eva RoytburgMay 25, 2026
1 day ago
The Supreme Court handed Trump a Golden Chariot on tariffs — now he just has to take it
Commentary
The Supreme Court handed Trump a Golden Chariot on tariffs — now he just has to take it
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianMay 26, 2026
8 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.