Tesla surprises investors with better quarterly results than expected. Sales are in the third quarter 2020 by 39 percent increased to $ 8.8 billion. If one only looks at the electric car business, there is an increase of 42 percent to 7.6 billion dollars. The other key indicators are also positive: gross profit + 42% to $ 2.1 billion, operating profit + 210% on 809 million and net profit plus 131 Percent on 331 million dollars .

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Tesla has now achieved net profit for five quarters in a row. However, in the last four quarters this is based on so-called “regulatory credits” or “ZEV credit sales”. These are emission certificates that Tesla receives in parts of the United States for every electric car sold. Tesla sells these certificates to other automakers who have so far not sold any or only a few electric cars. Only in the third quarter of the previous year would Tesla have achieved a small net profit even without these certificates.

Musk’s mega bonus The current quarterly result is influenced by the particularly generous remuneration of the company boss Elon Musk. The sharp rise in the price of Tesla shares has brought Musk 290 millions of dollars in the form of Tesla shares. This form of reward reduces the profit, but is not at the expense of the company’s coffers but at the expense of other shareholders, as their shares are reduced accordingly. The company’s coffers are now well filled. 14, Tesla had 5 billion dollars for the 30. September in cash and cash equivalents at hand. A year earlier it was $ 5.3 billion. This emerges from the quarterly figures published on Wednesday evening. In after-hours trading, Tesla shares gained a good three percent.

Preview of changes Now the company is working on “more ambitious changes to the architecture of our products and factories”. This should increase efficiency and reduce costs. In addition, Tesla wants to get into the production of batteries. The company is currently buying its batteries.

The production capacities in Fremont have been increased to 590, 000 cars expanded per year, those in Shanghai to 250. 000, but not yet the end of the flagpole is. In Grünheide near Berlin, where Tesla is currently building a new factory, the first machines

should be “in the coming weeks”