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Tesla, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 21 October 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue flat year over year: Revenue was $28.0B against $28.1B a year earlier, with the company citing lower vehicle ASP, lower regulatory credits and fewer deliveries as offsets. Source
  • Operating income fell year over year: Income from operations was $718M against $1,624M a year earlier, and operating margin was down 322 basis points. Source
  • Cybercab Robotaxi rides began: Robotaxi rides with Cybercabs started on September 3 in Austin; cumulative unsupervised Robotaxi miles grew eightfold quarter over quarter. Source
  • Operating expenses rose sharply: Operating expenses were $4.8B against $3.4B a year earlier; management attributed the increase to SI and R&D projects, SBC and SG&A. Source
  • Automotive gross margin higher: Automotive gross margin on a GAAP basis was 18.5%, against 17.0% a year earlier; excluding regulatory credit sales it was 18.1%. Source
  • Largest passenger vehicle backlog in four years: The company ended the quarter with its largest passenger vehicle backlog in four years. Source
  • Cash and investments reached $45.4B: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments rose $1.9B sequentially, primarily from free cash flow. Source
  • SI compute target of 400 MW: The company plans 400 MW of SI training compute by year-end, to support vehicle and humanoid robot autonomy software. Source

“We believe that FSD is driving demand in markets where it is available, and we continue to work with regulators to get it approved in other markets.”

Tesla, Inc., press release

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
SI training compute Sourceend of the year400 MW
Austin Fab equipment commissioning Source2027commissioning equipment in 2027
Megafactory Texas planned capacity Sourcenot stated50 GWh

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Robotaxi rides using Cybercabs started on September 3 in Austin. Source
  • New: Volume production of Tesla Semi began on the high-volume line in Nevada. Source
  • New: Optimus production began in Fremont on high-volume lines. Source
  • New: Production began at Megafactory Texas. Source
  • New: The Next Gen Roadster was unveiled on October 15. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue flat year over year: Revenue was $28.0B against $28.1B a year earlier, with the company citing lower vehicle ASP, lower regulatory credits and fewer deliveries as offsets. Source
  • Trailing revenue above $100B again: The company reported a second consecutive quarter of trailing twelve-month revenue above $100B. Source
  • Profit measures for the quarter: GAAP operating income was $0.7B, GAAP net income $0.8B and non-GAAP net income $1.7B. Source
  • Operating income fell year over year: Income from operations was $718M against $1,624M a year earlier, and operating margin was down 322 basis points. Source
  • Diluted EPS lower than a year earlier: Diluted EPS was $0.22 on a GAAP basis and $0.48 non-GAAP, against $0.39 and $0.50 a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin at 13.9%: Adjusted EBITDA was $3.9B, a 13.9% margin, against a 15.0% margin a year earlier. Source

Segments and regions

  • Automotive revenue slightly lower: Total automotive revenues were $20.6B, against $21.2B a year earlier. Source
  • Energy revenue lower year over year: Energy generation and storage revenue was $2.9B against $3.4B a year earlier; the update partly attributes the decrease to tariff-related customer refunds. Source
  • Services gross profit at a record: Services and Other gross profit rose by $86M from the prior quarter to a record $734M. Source
  • Record deliveries in several markets: The company reported record quarterly deliveries in Canada, Australia, Japan and Taiwan, and record production at Gigafactory Berlin. Source
  • North America deliveries rose sharply: The update describes North America, its most mature market, as showing a nearly twenty percentage point sequential increase in deliveries. Source

“Energy storage is the fastest way to add power to the existing grid and is critical to data center uptime.”

Tesla, Inc., press release

Products and customers

  • Cybercab Robotaxi rides began: Robotaxi rides with Cybercabs started on September 3 in Austin; cumulative unsupervised Robotaxi miles grew eightfold quarter over quarter. Source
  • FSD now in nine EU countries: Four more EU approvals came after the end of Q2, bringing FSD availability to nine countries; over 100,000 customers have used it. Source
  • FSD subscriptions lifted ancillary sales: Higher automotive ancillary sales were primarily driven by FSD subscriptions, which reached 1.74 million from 1.48 million last quarter. Source
  • Tesla Semi volume production began: The top Semi variant is rated at 500 miles at full 82,000 lbs gross combination weight, with efficiency of 1.7 kWh/mile. Source
  • Optimus bots built on production line: Management said these are the first production-quality bots the company has manufactured, and that the current Optimus process is suitable for a commercial product. Source

Costs and operating expenses

  • Operating expenses rose sharply: Operating expenses were $4.8B against $3.4B a year earlier; management attributed the increase to SI and R&D projects, SBC and SG&A. Source
  • R&D spending nearly doubled: Research and development expense was $2.8B, up from $1.6B a year earlier. Source
  • Stock-based compensation climbed: Stock-based compensation expense was $1,165M, up from $663M a year earlier, and includes the 2025 CEO Performance Award. Source
  • No restructuring charge this quarter: Restructuring and other expense was nil this quarter, against $238M a year earlier. Source

“Much hard work lies ahead, but we are as optimistic as ever.”

Tesla, Inc., press release

Margins and pricing

  • Automotive gross margin higher: Automotive gross margin on a GAAP basis was 18.5%, against 17.0% a year earlier; excluding regulatory credit sales it was 18.1%. Source
  • Vehicle ASP lower year over year: The update cites lower vehicle average selling price, excluding FX and including mix, as a driver of the lower revenue and operating income. Source
  • Regulatory credit revenue fell: Automotive regulatory credit revenue was $113M, down from $417M a year earlier. Source
  • Energy gross profit declined: The update attributes lower operating income in part to lower Energy Generation and Storage gross profit. Source

Demand and order book

  • Largest passenger vehicle backlog in four years: The company ended the quarter with its largest passenger vehicle backlog in four years. Source
  • Battery supply limited auto volumes: Battery availability was the limiting factor on auto volumes this quarter; management said it made additional progress securing future supply. Source
  • Deliveries slightly lower year over year: Total deliveries were 486,532, down 2% year over year, while production rose 4%. Source
  • Vehicle inventory at 11 days: Global vehicle inventory was 11 days of supply, against 10 days a year earlier. Source
  • Operating lease fleet smaller: The count of new-vehicle operating leases at quarter end was 133,720, down from 167,163 a year earlier. Source
  • Energy storage order rate highest: Energy storage demand was at the company's highest order rate and backlog; 13.7 GWh was deployed this quarter. Source

Cash, capital and balance sheet

  • Operating cash flow and capex: Operating cash flow was $6.3B and capital expenditures were $4.7B, leaving free cash flow of $1.5B. Source
  • Cash and investments reached $45.4B: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments rose $1.9B sequentially, primarily from free cash flow. Source
  • Trailing free cash flow lower: Trailing twelve-month free cash flow was $3.3B, against $6.8B a year earlier, as trailing capital expenditures rose. Source
  • Non-recourse debt higher: Non-recourse debt was $9.3B, up from $7.5B a year earlier; recourse debt was $2M. Source
  • SpaceX stake unrealized loss: The SpaceX equity investment carried an unrealized loss of $108M net of tax this quarter, excluded from non-GAAP net income. Source

Strategy and investment

  • SI compute target of 400 MW: The company plans 400 MW of SI training compute by year-end, to support vehicle and humanoid robot autonomy software. Source
  • Austin Fab construction continues: Construction continues at the Austin Fab, where commissioning of equipment is planned to start in 2027. Source
  • Domestic LFP cells in Megapacks: The first Megapacks built solely with company LFP cells shipped, which management described as a milestone in localizing battery supply. Source
  • 4680 cell production increasing: Production of 4680 cells is rising to support Cybercab, Tesla Semi and higher Model Y volumes. Source
  • Software and fleet profits expected later: Management expects hardware profits over time to be accompanied by an acceleration of SI, software and fleet-based profits. Source
  • Supercharger for Business expanding: The Supercharger for Business program grew to over 600 stalls, and the first pre-assembled Accordion Supercharger was deployed. Source

Coming up, as management said on 21 October 2026

  • SI compute capacity by year-end: Management expects 400 MW of SI training compute by the end of the year. Source
  • Austin Fab equipment commissioning: Commissioning of equipment at the Austin Fab is planned to start in 2027. Source
  • Robotaxi wait times expected to fall: Austin Robotaxi hours are now 6am to midnight; management expects shorter waits from added fleet supply and better orchestration. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Deliveries Source486,532
Production Source464,391
Automotive gross margin (GAAP) Source18.5%
Energy storage deployed Source13.7 GWh

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Battery availability was described as the limiting factor on increasing auto volumes during the quarter. Source
  • Demand: Deliveries and deployments depend on aggregate demand, supply chain readiness, and allocation between customer sales and the company's owned fleet. Source
  • Regulatory: FSD is not yet approved in all markets; the company continues to work with regulators for approvals elsewhere. Source
  • External: Energy generation and storage revenue was reduced in part by tariff-related customer refunds. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.