Threats and Opportunities for Tesla

Tesla

Opportunities

Weight

Rating

Score

Strong Demand in Europe

Assembling in Netherlands

Battery market

Launched home battery this summer

China, other Asian markets

Struggling to gain traction in China

New Products

More or less on schedule

Other Vehicle development

Nothing in the pipeline

Economic Incentives

Does well

Threats

Low Gas Prices

Gas prices do not affect Tesla demand

Increased competition

Technological superiority

Trade Barriers

China a notable problem

Economic slowdown

Not expected to affect Tesla

Product launch delays

Some minor delays

Charging Station delays

Rollout ok

Whether Tesla is doing well in its industry or not sort of depends how the industry is defined. Among electric car makers, Tesla has demonstrated technological superiority over the past few years. There have been many new entrants, both startups and established car companies, but none have been able to challenge Tesla on technology, so the company has maintained its competitive advantage. It has not yet converted this market share in a way that would make it anything other than a niche vehicle, however. In the context of the overall automobile market, Tesla is an upstart that has proven little, despite offering tremendous promise.

The company's aim is to grow to become a major global automaker, which is why the company has sought to build a presence in Europe and Asia, even when it has a miniscule share in the North American market. While Tesla has been able to succeed in building its brand in Europe, the company has struggled to gain a foothold in China. There are significant trade barriers, and arguably the greatest competitive threat will come from China, where Tesla lacks any meaningful intellectual property rights protections.

Overall, the company's performance has been strong for a startup, but it is too young and small to be considered a major player in the automotive industry; the hope is that it will be a disruptive player, however, and will be able to maintain its technological leadership in the long run.