Tesla’s EV Seniority and how it could affect Ford’s price parity battle: Goldman Sachs

Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) seniority in the electric vehicle sector is proving to provide plenty of difficulty for the long-standing legends of the automotive industry. Ford’s (NYSE: F) recent unveiling of the all-electric version of the best-selling pickup truck in America with the F-150 Lightning was a step in the right direction for the Michigan-based car company. Still, its battle with price parity puts it in an awkward position, as other brands, especially Tesla, can offer a considerably more advanced product in terms of EV tech and range while offering a more affordable option through price per kilowatt-hour. Goldman Sachs released a note to investors that detailed Ford’s strong F-15o Lightning unveiling was the company “moving in the right direction,” but they’re still going to fighting an uphill battle for years to come.

Highlighting Ford’s ambitious plan to roll out 40% of its global production as electrified models by 2030, Goldman Sachs sees the automaker’s recent $8 billion increase in planned expenditures as a good thing. “The company’s EV lineup features what we view as attractive products, such as the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit commercial van, and F-150 Lightning. More specifically on pickups, Ford expects one-third of all full-size pickup sales to be electric by 2030, and we expect the F-150 Lightning to be among the industry leaders given its features and price point.”

Goldman Sachs on Ford’s Q1 earnings
“While we believe that Ford is moving in the right direction (targeting under $100 per kWh by mid decade), Tesla is already at/near $100 at the pack level, and could be in the $60 range for some models by mid decade.”$F$TSLA pic.twitter.com/m6LVUBtxR9

— David Tayar (@davidtayar5) May 28, 2021

The F-150 Lightning will offer competitive range, pricing, and performance options to compete with the Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T. While it is still up in the air on what each automaker will deliver when their vehicles make it to customers, Ford offers a robust and strong F-150 comparative that brings some interesting competition to the table in terms of specs. However, Goldman Sachs is more concerned about Ford’s plan to tackle price parity, the relationship between the price of electric cars and gas cars.

“One of the key debates we expect among investors will be on EV profitability on a like-for-like basis with ICE. While we believe that Ford is moving in the right direction with a modular EV architecture and that its target to be under $100 per kWh by mid-decade will be competitive for the industry, we expect some peers to be ahead of this,” Goldman’s note says. “Tesla, we believe, is already at/near $100 at the pack level and could be in the $60 range for some models by mid-decade if it executes on its plan from its 2020 Battery Day.”

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Tesla’s long-term chipping away at EV technology and battery developments is a key indicator of what is to come for the legacy automakers who are just getting into the sector of electrification. While Ford has a lineup of great products and EV releases that are expected to begin production in the coming years, Tesla’s seniority in the sector will always be a thorn in the side of traditional companies until, and if, they can catch up. Ultimately, until these companies can match Tesla’s pricing points, other companies will be offering inferior products at a higher price, boding well for Tesla’s domination of the ever-growing EV sector.

Disclosure: Joey Klender is a TSLA Shareholder.

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