Spencer Platt/Getty Images News
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) continued to rally on Friday as Piper Sandler highlighted data that implies Model Y demand is spiking.
Based on evaluation performed by equity analyst Alexander Potter, recent price cuts have begun to trickle through to demand increases.
“This morning, in our every day scrape of the “design studio” on tesla.com, we noticed an obvious spike in wait times,” he wrote on Friday. “U.S. consumers must now wait between 4 and 17 weeks for a Long Range Model Y, up from 0-8 weeks yesterday.”
While Tesla’s (TSLA) gross margin is anticipated to take a success, Potter still believes competitors like Ford (F) and General Motors (GM) “will bear the brunt of [Tesla’s (TSLA)] aggressive pricing strategy.” Ford has already moved to chop prices for its Mustang EV in response to Tesla’s pricing actions.
The sign of US demand reflected within the wait-time data appeared to overshadow somewhat tepid sales growth for China-made vehicles. Moreover, the Treasury updated its standards for vehicle classification, impacting the provision of tax credits. All Model Y variations now qualify for that credit.
Shares of the Austin-based EV manufacturer rose 5.11% on Friday, leading major automakers. General Motors (GM) gained modestly, while Ford (F) stock slid sharply after missing earnings expectations and issuing a mea culpa on operational issues.
Read more on Deutsche Bank’s downgrade of Ford on Friday.