Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) investor Ross Gerber is questioning Elon Musk’s marketing strategy as gasoline prices climb across the U.S. and Wall Street lowers its expectations for the electric vehicle maker’s third-quarter deliveries.
Ross Gerber Questions Tesla’s Advertising Strategy
On Friday, Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, took to X to ask why Tesla isn’t promoting its electric vehicles more aggressively on television.
"Why are there Starlink ads on TV but no Tesla ads to sell EVs when gas prices are through the roof?" Gerber wrote.
He then questioned whether Tesla’s leadership was missing an opportunity to capitalize on higher fuel costs, asking, "Doesn’t the CEO know that they would sell more EVs if they tried?"
Gerber’s comments come as gasoline prices remain elevated. Analyst Patrick De Haan said the average U.S. price for regular gasoline reached $4.44 per gallon as of Sept. 21, up 18.5 cents from the previous week and $1.28 from a year earlier.
The national average for diesel reached $6.49 per gallon, according to De Haan, representing a 30.7-cent weekly increase and a $2.83 jump from the same period last year.
Tesla Delivery Forecast Faces Pressure
Last week, Goldman Sachs lowered its third-quarter Tesla delivery estimate to 435,000 vehicles from 490,000. The forecast is also below the 456,000-vehicle consensus from Visible Alpha.
Goldman analyst Mark Delaney maintained a Neutral rating and a $360 price target while cutting his delivery estimate.
According to Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, Tesla ranks in the 51st percentile for Quality, while its shares show positive short- and medium-term trends but a downward long-term price trend. The stock closed 1.54% down to $372.11 on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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