GM Could Overtake Tesla as the Most Valuable U.S. Carmaker

(Bloomberg) -- The battle between Tesla Inc. and General Motors Co. for the most valuable U.S. carmaker is heating up.

After Tesla followed in the footsteps of the legacy automakers and announced a plan to cut jobs on Friday, shares of the electric vehicle maker dropped as much as 10 percent in New York, bringing its market capitalization to just $54.2 billion. GM, whose shares have gained as much as 0.6 percent today, is now valued at $54.4 billion.

If the outlooks from the two auto companies are anything to go by, GM looks set to be winning the race for the year. Tesla's forecast of a “very difficult road” ahead, as it tries to ramp up the production of the lower-priced versions of the Model 3 sedan, contrasts starkly with the surprise outlook from GM earlier this month. The company, which was expected to warn about tough times due to a slowdown in auto markets in Europe and China, dismissed all concerns and forecast a strong profit, surprising investors.

Read more: GM Defies Doom With Forecasts for Bigger Profit, Flat Sales

Despite going through a rough and turbulent year as a company, Tesla shares managed to gain about 7 percent in 2018, mostly helped by strong deliveries and profit for the third quarter, while GM's stock dropped more than 18 percent. The trend has been reversed so far this year, with Tesla dropping 5.6 percent and GM rising nearly 15 percent.

Tesla's job cut news was not unexpected, Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois said, noting that it was consistent with slower growth rates and also an opportunity to improve productivity. The analyst said Tesla still leads the electric vehicle industry as it moves the price of its Model 3 car toward $35,000, while most competitors remain engaged in an “EV negative margin sum game at higher price points.”

Still, the U.S. peers are valued at a fraction of the global heavyweight, Toyota Motor Corp. The Japanese carmaker's market cap sits at 22.2 trillion yen, or $202.8 billion.

To contact the reporter on this story: Esha Dey in New York at edey@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Courtney Dentch at cdentch1@bloomberg.net, Will Daley

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