Tesla (TSLA 2.03%) has delivered astounding returns for investors in recent years. It's emerging as an iconic brand that people aspire to own. Most importantly, Tesla has found a profitable path to deliver long-term growth, which the top automakers are struggling to do these days.
Despite tremendous brand power, Tesla faces mounting pressures in the near term, including softening demand in China, which may force the company to lower selling prices on certain models. These headwinds have sent the stock down 56% from its peak in 2021.
I believe the bear market is the perfect opportunity for those who have been on the fence over Tesla's high valuation to add shares to their portfolio. Here are two signs that Tesla's remarkable run is not over.
1. Cybertruck is coming
Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the company's first truck in 2019 to much fanfare. The company planned to launch its first pickup at an affordable price of less than $40,000. With delays in production and high inflation driving up the cost of parts and labor, it will likely debut a bit pricier than originally projected. Regardless, it seems Tesla will try to price the vehicle to compete with the Ford F-150 -- the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. last year.
Image source: Tesla.
The F-150 is Ford's highest-volume vehicle, but Tesla could take some share away from the industry leader. Cybertruck might be the most highly anticipated electric vehicle launch to date, with a reported 3 million already having placed a reservation to order. For context, that is nearly 10 times the total amount of deliveries Tesla made in the third quarter alone, which indicates a major future sales driver.
Americans love their trucks, so it wouldn't be surprising for Cybertruck to become Tesla's best-selling vehicle. During the third-quarter earnings call, Musk said, "We're in the final lap for Cybertruck," with production scheduled to begin by the middle of 2023.
2. Tesla is rapidly growing profits
Tesla not only has a major upcoming growth catalyst in Cybertruck, but investors should also take comfort in the fact that Tesla is a rare electric vehicle maker that is profitable. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas recently noted that "Tesla is the only name we cover that generates a profit (before incentives) on the sale of EVs."
Through the first three quarters of 2022, Tesla earned a net profit of $8.9 billion on $57 billion of revenue. That is much better than Ford's net loss of $3.3 billion on revenue of $114 billion.
Tesla has a superior record of generating profitable growth compared to leading car manufacturers, which is why the stock has soared. Tesla is currently generating about 10 times the level of profit it produced five years ago, while Ford and General Motors have struggled to generate an adequate profit margin.
Data by YCharts.
As Ford and GM crank up their EV operations to compete, Tesla's profitability gives it a major financial advantage to build a better product and provide superior service to its customers.
Tesla is on pace to increase production by 50% heading into 2023. This is clearly in preparation to meet growing demand, which will only continue to increase with its first truck. Musk has called Cybertruck a "hall of famer, next level" vehicle that is going to be "sick and sick."
These are the reasons I believe now is a great opportunity to invest in Tesla stock. It's trading at a discount to where it will likely trade when the market is in a better mood.
