Laurence Iliff

The single-motor variant starts at $45,630 with shipping — $3,750 lower than the previous base trim. It arrives on the heels of Tesla's mixed third-quarter sales report.

Fast-growing Tesla posted a rare quarter-on-quarter sales decline due to factory downtime. But better days are coming, analysts say, with the launch of Cybertruck and freshened Model 3 sedan

After making 5,000 crossovers, Fisker is adding staff and locations in the U.S. and Europe. Bank of America sees the Ocean as a strong product but worries about Tesla's aggressive EV pricing.

Only 10 percent of Tesla owners leave the brand for another EV. Top choices include Rivian, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The coming Cybertruck offers another reason to stay with Tesla, analysts say.

Detroit automakers will face a significant disadvantage vs. Tesla on EV costs. Tesla CEO Elon Musk teases UAW time-off demands: "Is anyone gonna be around to make the actual cars?"

The startup has struggled to sell its pricey Air sedan, but help is on the way with the Gravity crossover in 2024 and a lower-cost platform later in the decade.

"We speculate that a prolonged strike would benefit Tesla most due to its production capabilities and opportunity to build on its leading market share position," Baird says in a research note.

Rivian added 2,783 new registrations in July for its R1 vehicles. Lucid had 356 for its Air sedan and VinFast 19 for its VF 8 crossover. Fisker had 30 for the new Ocean, as Tesla undercut the newcomers.

Tesla's U.S. registrations rose 50 percent in the January-July period, giving it 59.5 percent of the EV market. Among all brands, EV registrations rose 67 percent vs. last year to 655,986.

The popular EV adds ventilated seats and ambient lighting but removes stalks for turn signals and gear changes. Sales are likely to get a boost from the long-awaited freshen, analysts say.

The industry evolution toward EVs is bringing exciting new models from startups such as Fisker and VinFast, while legacy stalwart VW adds some buzz with an EV minivan.

The EV maker generally drags out physical updates to its models, relying instead on software updates to keep them fresh. But as the brand matures, new models and model freshens are coming.

The new platform is focused on more affordable vehicles for the mass market. Prices for an expected R2 crossover and pickup are expected between $40,000 and $50,000.

After launching the Ocean midsize crossover in June, the startup plans to quickly introduce new models using modified versions of its skateboard platform. The Alaska pickup is targeted at the U.S. market.

The Vietnamese automaker's four-crossover lineup will range from the subcompact VF 6 to the large VF 9. In 2025, VinFast expects to assemble the VF 7, VF 8 and VF 9 at a future plant in North Carolina.