特斯拉股东大会透露的6件事

特斯拉（Tesla）在上周二举行的股东大会没有爆出什么引人注目的大新闻，不过汽车迷和批评者还是能够从中得到许多信息。

在公司首次未能达到生产目标后的几个月里，特斯拉的首席执行埃隆·马斯克一直在推特上责备华尔街的分析师，对批评者也越来越不客气。相较之下，这次特斯拉的年度会议却显得风平浪静，尽管马斯克也激动地捍卫了公司的理念，并试图阐述一些传记体风格的见解。以下是会议中的一些要点。

马斯克将继续担任董事长

股东提议让独立的董事长取代马斯克执掌公司，并在接下来的改选中替换三位董事会成员（包括马斯克的弟弟）。两位影响力强大的代理顾问反对改选，而到最后，特斯拉表示这两点提议都以较大劣势遭到否决。

马斯克谈到Model 3的生产目标时一度哽咽

怀疑特斯拉的人声称公司无法实现其Model 3汽车的生产目标。不过马斯克情绪激动地向股东保证，如今每周可以生产3,500辆Model 3的生产线很快就能把产量提高到每周5,000辆。马斯克表示：“我们很可能在本月底实现5,000辆的产量。这就像是……我告诉你们，这仿佛是我经历过的最痛苦、最地狱般的几个月。不过我认为我们就要到那一步了。”

马斯克在为特斯拉的使命辩护时一度哽咽。他表示：“在特斯拉，我们用爱生产汽车。许多其他公司的汽车是由市场营销或是财务部门来打造的，没有灵魂。我们并不完美，但我们为汽车倾注了心血与灵魂，我们真正在乎它们。”

特斯拉在短期内没有募集更多资金的计划

马斯克重申了自己在上一次特斯拉的收入电话会议上的预测。他表示：“看起来我们在下一季度的GAAP净收入会是正数，第三季度和第四季度的现金流也会是正向的。我们预计不会增加借债或是募资。”

特斯拉的股价在去年夏天达到巅峰之后，已经出现了滑落，原因在于人们担心Model 3的生产延期会增加其财务负担，迫使其募集更多资金。在上周二的股东大会开始之前，公司的股价下跌了2%，不过截至盘后交易结束时又涨回了更多。

“全素汽车”即将登场

特斯拉从去年起开始在座椅上使用合成革，不过善待动物组织（PETA）的代表还是质疑他们在方向盘和换挡杆上继续使用皮革的做法。公司回应称，顾客如果喜欢，可以专门预定“全素汽车”。马斯克补充道，即将上市的特斯拉Y将完全不用皮革。

特斯拉不卖摩托车，因为马斯克差点骑摩托车身亡

尽管马斯克在会议上穿着一件Butter Robot T恤和皮质的摩托夹克，但是他表示特斯拉没有进军摩托车业务的计划。

马斯克的解释是：“实际上，我小时候经常骑摩托车，骑轻型摩托车大概有八年。我还在17岁的时候有了一辆公路车，但却差点被卡车撞死。所以我们不会做摩托车的。”【马斯克在2000年也曾撞毁过一辆昂贵的迈凯伦（McLaren）F1，不过这没有阻止他生产汽车。】

马斯克知道他很不善于遵守时间

在一位股东表示他对特斯拉的时间表已经丧失信任后，马斯克回应道：“我认为自己在时间上确实有些问题。这可能情有可原：我弟弟和我赶车去学校的时候，他总是在时间上说谎，报的时间比实际时间更晚，因此我们总是能赶上公交。”

针对股东厌倦特斯拉不断拖延生产的情况，马斯克希望大家保持信心。他表示：“我在尽力校准这些预测，我会说出自己认为它能实现的日期，但我往往过于乐观。我希望随着时间的推移，自己不要再那么乐观了。”特斯拉的崛起在很大程度上就是因为马斯克的乐观。而多一点的现实主义可能会帮助公司持续发展。（BT365的网址是多少）

译者：严匡正

There were no fireworks after all, but Tesla’s shareholder meeting on last Tuesday still had plenty to offer the automaker’s fans and critics alike.

After a couple of months of Tesla CEO Elon Musk chiding Wall Street analysts and growing combative with his critics on Twitter following a history of missing production goals, Tesla’s annual meeting was by comparison a sedate affair—although Musk did grow emotional defending the company’s ideals and managed to relate some biographical insights. Here are some takeaways from the meeting.

Musk will remain chairman

Two of the measures proposed by shareholders would have replaced Musk with an independent chairman and removed three board members (including Musk’s brother) who were up for re-election. Two influential proxy advisors had opposed the re-elections, but in the end, Tesla said both measures failed by a wide margin.

Musk choked up while affirming production goals for the Model 3

Tesla skeptics had argued that the company would not be able to meet the production goals for its Model 3 cars. But Musk grew emotional while assuring shareholders that production lines, which can now build as many as 3,500 Model 3’s a week, would soon rise to 5,000 a week. “It’s quite likely that we’ll achieve 5,000 at the end of the month,” Musk said. “It’s like, whew. I tell you, it’s like the most excruciating and hellish several months I’ve maybe ever had. But I think we’re getting there.”

Musk also choked up while defending Tesla’s mission. “At Tesla we build our cars with love,” he said. “At a lot of other companies, they’re built by marketing or the finance department and there’s no soul. We’re not perfect, but we pour our heart and soul into it and we really care.”

Tesla is still not planning to raise more cash soon

Musk reiterated a forecast that he made during Tesla’s last earnings call. “It’s really looking like we’re going to have positive GAAP net income next quarter as well as positive cash flow in Q3 and Q4,” he said. (Positive cash flows will help Tesla finance it operations with new capital.) “And we do not expect to raise any incremental debt or equity.”

Tesla’s shares had been slumping since their peak last summer amid concern that Model 3 production delays would weigh on its finances and force it to raise more cash. The company’s share price fell 2% last Tuesday before the meeting, but had more than made up that ground after it finished during extended trading.

“Fully vegan vehicles” is a thing

Tesla began using synthetic leather on its seats last year, but representative from PETA asked about the company’s continued use of leather on Tesla steering wheels and gear shifts. The company replied that customers can special order “fully vegan vehicles” if they so choose. Musk added that the upcoming Tesla Y would use no leather at all.

Tesla won’t sell motorbikes because Musk nearly died on one

Although Musk was sporting a leather (!) motorcycle jacket over a Butter Robot t-shirt during the meeting, he said Tesla has no plans to expand into motorcycles.

Here’s Musk’s explanation why. “I actually used to ride motorcycles when I was a kid, and did dirt-biking for like eight years or something, and had a road bike until I was 17 and was almost killed by a truck,” he said. “So we’re not going to do motorcycles.” (Musk also crashed an expensive McLaren F1 in 2000, although that didn’t deter him from manufacturing cars.)

Musk knows he’s terrible at keeping to schedules

After a shareholder said his trust in Tesla’s timelines had eroded, Musk replied: “I think I do have issues with time. I have a condition: When my brother and I were catching a bus to school he would lie about the time. He would say it was later than it actually was, and we would always catch the bus.”

For shareholders weary about Tesla’s production delays, Musk held out hope. “I’m trying to recalibrate these estimates as much as possible,” he said. “I could say when I think it will occur, but I’m typically optimistic about these things. Hopefully less optimistic over time.” Tesla’s rise is due in good part to Musk’s optimism. A little more realism may just help the company to keep growing.