Tesla Deliveries Slipped in Second Quarter as Pandemic Hit

Tesla Deliveries Slipped in Second Quarter as Pandemic Hit

The electric carmaker's deliveries fell as people around the world were forced to stay home by government orders and fears over the coronavirus pandemic.

Tesla's sales dipped in the second quarter because of coronavirus shut-down orders but the company's stock has soared during the pandemic.Credit...Stephen Lam/ReutersJuly 2, 2020, 8:21 a.m. ET

Tesla said on Thursday that it delivered fewer electric cars in the second quarter as sales plunged in much of the world because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The company said it delivered 90,650 cars in the quarter, down 5 percent from the 95,365 it sold in the same period in 2019. It sold 88,496 cars in the first quarter of 2020, when most of the company's operations were largely unaffected by the virus.

Local officials forced Tesla to shut down its main car factory, in Fremont, Calif., in March. Two months later, the company restarted production earlier than it was authorized to do so after its chief executive, Elon Musk, criticized stay-at-home orders as "fascist.“

Still, the delivery numbers were better than analysts had expected and Tesla's shares jumped 8 percent in early trading before the stock market opened on the news. The company's stock has soared in recent months, and has been setting