Tesla's Delivery Miss Also Showed Elon Musk-Led EV Giant Hitting This Worrying Record

Elon Musk-led EV giant Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) released its Q1 2026 delivery figures, which missed market expectations as EV demand in the U.S. softens. However, the figures also showed that there were several thousand unsold vehicles sitting in the automaker’s lots. 50,000 Unsold Vehicles Following the data released by Tesla, which showcased that the automaker had sold 358,023 units in the first quarter of 2026 and produced 408,386 units, Business Insider reported that the 50,363 gap between the two figures showcased the automaker hitting a new record of unsold vehicles. It is also the largest gap between production and sales in the automaker’s history. The report also said that the last time Tesla’s production and sales gap was close to the 50,000 mark was in Q1 2024. Tesla had shared self-compiled delivery consensus figures ahead of the data’s release, expecting 365k deliveries in the quarter. Experts Lament Falling Deliveries Investor Ross Gerber of Gerber Kawasaki said that Tesla’s falling deliveries showcased that it wasn’t “really in the EV/car business anymore,” amid a pivot towards physical AI. Gerber instead backed rival Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) as the “pure EV play” in the U.S. auto industry. Meanwhile, Gary Black of The Future Fund LLC shared that the falling Tesla deliveries vindicated his decision to exit his position in the EV giant as the "right call.” Black also criticized and lamented the automaker’s refusal to invest in traditional advertising and marketing activities. According to Benzinga Edge Rankings, Tesla offers Satisfactory Momentum and Growth, but fails to provide a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term. Price Action: TSLA fell 5.42% to $360.59 at market close on Thursday, but gained 0.19% to $361.26 during the after-hours trading session. Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link. Photo Courtesy: Ken Wolter on Shutterstock