SHARE Shares of Tesla Inc. rose slightly in after-hours trading today after the electric car maker and energy company forecast a return to growth in 2025 despite falling short of expectations in its fourth quarter. Tesla reported adjusted earnings per share of 73 cents, up from 71 cents per share in the same quarter of the previous year, on revenue of $25.71 billion, up 2% year-over-year. Both figures fell short of the 76 cents per share and revenue of $27.23 billion expected by analysts. The lower-than-expected figures were in part the result of a dip in deliveries, along with the need to provide increasing levels of discounts and financing offers. In its fourth quarter, Tesla produced 459,445 vehicles, consisting of 436,718 Model 3 and Y models and 22,727 others. Deliveries were ahead of production, with 495,570 vehicles delivered — 471,920 Model 3 and Y vehicles and 23,640 others. The other figure includes the company’s Cybertruck. For the full year, Tesla produced 1,773,443 vehicles and delivered 1,789,226. Though Tesla fell short in the quarter, investors were more interested in what to expect for the year ahead. It plans to launch its robotaxi service later this year, aiming to revolutionize urban transportation with fully autonomous vehicles. The company also anticipates commencing volume production of its Cybercab in 2026, further expanding its autonomous fleet. Tesla is focusing on advancements in vehicle autonomy and introducing new products to drive growth. The company also projects a 50% year-over-year increase in energy storage deployments, highlighting its commitment to sustainable energy solutions. Chief Executive Elon Musk also reiterated his goals for fully autonomous self-driving capabilities and plans to introduce an affordable Tesla model by mid-2025. The exact details were not provided in the initial release, but more details were expected in the company’s earnings call. Some analysts expressed skepticism about Musk’s targets, with Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley telling the Financial Times that “Trump 2.0 opposition to EV incentives has hit 2025 volume expectations,” suggesting that policy changes could affect sales growth. Other analysts were more optimistic. Garrett Nelson, an analyst at CFRA, highlighted that the lowered expectations for 2025 make Tesla’s growth targets more achievable, saying, “The bar has been lowered to much more achievable levels, so therefore they are much more likely to hit it going forward.”