Rare move! Tesla, Inc. (TSLA.US) official website breaks tradition by forecasting a possible "sharp decline" in Q4 deliveries.

Tesla, Inc. recently released analyst estimates of vehicle delivery volumes on its official website, which were more pessimistic than market compiled data. According to Tesla, Inc.'s own statistics, analysts on average expect the company to deliver 422,850 vehicles in the fourth quarter, a 15% decrease from the same period last year. In comparison, the market compiled average estimate is 445,061 vehicles, a 10% year-on-year decrease. Although Tesla, Inc.'s Investor Relations team has been compiling average delivery volume expectations for many years, they have never publicly disclosed this data on their website before. The car manufacturer is facing a second consecutive year of declining annual sales, with their compiled full-year delivery volume average estimate being 1.6 million vehicles, a decrease of over 8% from the previous year. Tesla, Inc. saw a sharp drop in sales at the beginning of the year due to all of their assembly plants undergoing production line upgrades for the redesigned Model Y, their best-selling model. Meanwhile, CEO Elon Musk's divisive role in the Trump administration has also had an impact on the brand. Due to American consumers rushing to purchase electric cars before the federal tax credit of $7,500 expired at the end of September, Tesla, Inc.'s delivery volume surged to record levels in the third quarter. At the beginning of this quarter, Tesla, Inc. partially offset the impact of the withdrawal of incentives by introducing a base model of the Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan priced below $40,000. Despite the decline in vehicle sales, Tesla, Inc.'s stock price is still expected to record an increase this year. As of the close on Monday, the stock has risen by 14% year-to-date, slightly lower than the 17% increase in the S&P 500 index.