Analyst Sees “One-Time Production Disruptions” Hitting Tesla After Eco-Terrorist Attack On Gigafactory

One must consider whether the radical left-wing eco-terrorist group that attacked the German power grid on Tuesday to paralyze Tesla’s Gigafactory near Berlin, genuinely aims to save the planet through the shuttering of the plant, or if adversaries of Elon Musk orchestrated this attack to thrust Tesla into turmoil.

Bloomberg reported that the attack suspended Model Y utility vehicle production at the Gigafactory plant in Gruenheide, Germany, for the second day. The factory turns out an average of 6,000 Model Ys per week, which might lead to lower vehicle delivery expectations for the current quarter. 

In a note to clients this morning, Ben Kallo, an analyst at Baird Equity Research, highlighted the need to adjust the automaker’s vehicle deliveries lower for the quarter. He forecasted that Tesla would deliver around 421,100 vehicles in the first quarter, roughly 67,900 less than the Wall Street consensus. 

Kallo, who turned bearish on the stock in late January, said, “A series of one-time production disruptions have added further complexity to the setup” for the first quarter. 

Compounding troubles for Tesla have also been headlines from China, where Gigafactory Shanghai recently logged a slowdown in vehicle shipments. Tesla shares in New York have lost almost $70 billion, or about 11% of market capitalization, so far this month. 

The decline in Tesla has also dented Elon Musk’s wealth, dethroning him as the world’s richest person. He lost that title to Jeff Bezos.