--- description: Tesla is losing more than $4,000 on every Model S it sells. title: Tesla Loses Money on Every Model S Sold image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff1170e1c2e13c56/69885e7d5f570f190ab1cd2e/gettyimages-177484090.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Is the Whopping Amount Tesla Loses on Every Model S by [John Kell / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## John Kell / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 10, 2015 1:15 PM CUT  The Tesla Model S in the Globe parking lot. The Tesla Model S in the Globe parking lot.Boston Globe—Boston Globe via Getty Images by [John Kell / Fortune](/author/fortune/) ## John Kell / Fortune Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 10, 2015 1:15 PM CUT Tesla’s Model S electric sedan celebrated its third anniversary during the second quarter of 2015\. But the automaker is losing more than $4,000 on every Model S it sells. That figure comes by way of a Reuters [analysis](http://www.businessinsider.com/r-insight-tesla-burns-cash-loses-more-than-4000-on-every-car-sold-2015-8 "undefined"), which found that Tesla burned through $359 million in cash last quarter even while when luxury vehicles are hot sellers. Tesla had just $1.15 billion on hand as of June 30, down from $2.67 billion a year earlier. Meanwhile, bigger and more established auto makers like General Motors and Ford have been busy rebuilding their balance sheets since the recession badly bruised the auto industry, sending both GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy. GM and Ford have benefited from selling more larger trucks and SUVs, which command higher prices and are more profitable than smaller cars. Tesla is also working on an electric SUV, named the Model X and set for release this fall. Though Tesla’s shares have been skyrocketing since 2013, it still remains a tiny player in the global auto industry. The company produced just 12,807 vehicles last quarter. It is only expecting to deliver between 50,000 to 55,000 Model S and Model X cars this year. By way of comparison, General Motors sells more than 9 million vehicles a year. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3990438/tesla-model-s-losing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3990438/tesla-model-s-losing/"},"headline":"This Is the Whopping Amount Tesla Loses on Every Model S","datePublished":"2015-08-10T13:15:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T10:02:20.806Z","description":"It's still a small automaker","url":"https://time.com/3990438/tesla-model-s-losing/","keywords":["Autos","Tesla","pubdesk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff1170e1c2e13c56/69885e7d5f570f190ab1cd2e/gettyimages-177484090.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"John Kell / Fortune"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff1170e1c2e13c56/69885e7d5f570f190ab1cd2e/gettyimages-177484090.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tesla Model S","caption":"Tesla Model S","creditText":"Boston Globe—Boston Globe via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3990438/tesla-model-s-losing/","name":"This Is the Whopping Amount Tesla Loses on Every Model S"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Tech Stocks Are Up, Down And All Over The Place","description":"Some of the biggest tech stocks have also been the most volatile this week, including IBM, Tesla and Google.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/APZ08HHO/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-07-22T14:27:01.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/APZ08HHO.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3990438/tesla-model-s-losing/","duration":"PT2M21S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3990438/tesla-model-s-losing/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```