Last week was quite the rollercoaster for Tesla Motors (TSLA). In a nutshell, shares of TSLA stock fell on an early report that sales were down, then shot back up when Elon Musk tweeted that wasn’t true. Now, all eyes are on Tesla stock this week, as the company is slated to report earnings on Wednesday.
But investors considering Tesla stock need to worry about more than just quarterly numbers. Looking at the longer term, there’s potential for competition to heat up big-time in the electric vehicle space that Tesla straight up dominates.
Sure, there are already smaller players like the Chevy Volt from General Motors (GM) vying for a piece of the market, but don’t think other big dogs haven’t noticed the California car-maker’s success.
In fact, let’s take just a quick look at the laundry list of competitors that TSLA will be dealing with, now and down the line.
- Ford (F): Ford made headlines recently for this very reason. The automaker’s CEO Mark Fields fired a few shots by telling USA Today that Ford could also build a Tesla. According to the USA Today piece, the Fields said that the company has the “expertise and ability to build a Tesla-style full-size, high-tech, high-performance, long-range electric vehicle.” He didn’t mention that one was in the works, but did say building one is “consistent with our product philosophy.”
- Volkswagen (VLKAY): Next up, we also have a little one-two punch from Germany. Two Volkswagen brands — Porsche and Audi. The Porsche Pajun is expected to be released in the next couple of years and, according to Clean Technica, it will boast the same speed and range as the Tesla Model S. Porsche has the swag, if you will, to compete with Tesla far more than Ford does. Meanwhile, Audi is also rumored to be planning all-electric version of its upcoming Q8 — a four-door coupe utility vehicle that will compete with the Tesla Model X.
- Land Rover: Speaking of the Tesla Model X, there are other companies focusing on the electric SUV market. One especially hot name that Tesla stock investors should take note of is Land Rover, which has an all-electric Range Rover in the works. As AutoBlog explained, “Likely more crossover than full-size SUV, the new vehicle would probably be far more aerodynamic than current models.”
- BMW: According to Green Car Reports, BMW “is thought to be working on larger, more upmarket all-electric vehicles based on its i3 architecture.”
- Mercedes-Benz: Next up, we have one of those “down the line” competitors. Daimler (DDAIF) also says it has a Tesla competitor in its plans … but sources say that could be a whopping seven years away. A little less worrisome for Tesla stock investors for sure — but still worth adding to the list.
All in all, Tesla stock investors should definitely keep an eye on earnings this week — but should also keep these competitors on their radar as they decide their long-term investment plan.
As of this writing, Robert Martin did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
