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Zacks Equity Research
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Chicago, IL – April 4, 2025 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Tesla TSLA, Rivian Automotive RIVN, NIO Inc. NIO, Li Auto LI and XPeng Inc. XPEV.
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
Major U.S. EV companies like Tesla and Rivian Automotive and China-based NIO Inc., Li Auto and XPeng Inc. released their delivery results for the first quarter of 2025. Here’s a rundown of the delivery numbers.
Tesladelivered 336,681 cars (323,800 Model 3/Y and 12,881 other models) worldwide in the first quarter, missing analysts’ expectations of 378,000 units. This marked the lowest quarterly numbers in more than two years. Sales were down from 495,570 units in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 386,810 in the first quarter of last year. An obvious reason behind Tesla’s soft first-quarter 2025 deliveries was the fact that it had to retool its factories to produce the new version of its Model Y SUV. The anti-Musk sentiment is also real, which is hurting the company’s sales.
Tesla produced 362,615 vehicles (345,454 Model 3/Y, and 17,161 other models) in the three months ended March. While the EV business is struggling, Tesla’s energy generation and storage business is thriving. In the first quarter of 2025, Tesla deployed 10.4 GWh of energy storage — a staggering 156% year-over-year increase.
Tesla stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Rivian manufactured 14,611 vehicles in the first quarter of 2025 at its Normal, IL, plant, up from 13,980 units produced in the corresponding quarter of 2024. However, its deliveries dropped to 8,640 vehicles from 13,588 in the same period last year. The reported production and delivery figures align with Rivian’s forecast of producing about 14,000 vehicles and delivering around 8,000.
Rivian reaffirmed its 2025 delivery target of 46,000 to 51,000 vehicles, suggesting flat or declining deliveries for a second consecutive year, as demand for its premium R1 models appears to be stagnant. However, 2026 could mark a turning point with the launch of the R2, a compact crossover priced around $45,000, which is set to compete with top-selling models like the Toyota RAV4 and Tesla Model Y.
Rivian stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
NIO delivered 15,039 vehicles in March 2025, up 26.7% year over year. The deliveries comprised 10,219 vehicles from its premium smart EV brand NIO and 4,820 vehicles from its family-oriented smart EV brand ONVO. It delivered 42,094 units in the first quarter of 2025, which rose 40.1% year over year. As of March 31, 2025, NIO’s cumulative deliveries totaled 713,658 units. In late March 2025, the company commenced delivery of the NIO ET9, its smart electric executive flagship.
