On April 3, Business Insider reported that Tesla released its production and sales data for the first quarter of this year, revealing a 50,000-unit surplus of production over sales—the largest gap in its history—pushing inventory to a new high. According to the data, Tesla sold 358,023 electric vehicles in the first quarter, representing a 6% year-on-year increase but falling significantly short of analysts' expectations of 372,160 units. Affected by the lower-than-expected sales, the company's stock price dropped by 4% at one point on the day the data was released. This inventory backlog marks the most severe in Tesla's history, with the last comparable buildup occurring in the same period of 2024, when production exceeded sales by 46,500 units. Behind the current predicament (difficulties), there has been a significant slowdown in electric vehicle demand across the entire industry. The U.S. electric vehicle market has cooled since the U.S. government revoked the $7,500 tax credit for new electric vehicles last September. According to statistics, U.S. electric vehicle sales plummeted by 28% in the first quarter of 2026, prompting automakers such as Ford and Honda to scale back electrification investments and cancel related models. Notably, Tesla is shifting its focus toward autonomous taxis and humanoid robots, planning to mass-produce the Cybercab autonomous taxi and the Optimus robot this year. However, its progress in autonomous taxis currently lags behind competitor Waymo, failing to effectively alleviate pressure on its electric vehicle business. Industry analysts note that Tesla's current production-sales imbalance stems from both broader industry headwinds and the company's strategic pivot, which has diverted resources. Moving forward, digesting inventory and boosting sales will pose significant challenges for Tesla.