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Tesla's business had a remarkably strong third quarter.
Why it matters: Investors have grown increasingly worried about the health and direction of the company as CEO Elon Musk has spent more time this year on politics and selling a story about a future built on Tesla's robotics and autonomous vehicles.
Driving the news: The EV-maker and energy storage company reported 8% growth in revenue to $25.2 billion, and a 17% jump in net income to $2.2 billion, which largely beat Wall Street expectations.
Shares popped over 7.5% after the bell on the news, though they're still down about 14% this year.
Behind the numbers: "Our cost of goods sold per vehicle came down to its lowest level ever at ~$35,100," the company said in a release.
Tesla also got an operating margin boost (from 7.6% last year to 10.8%) thanks to regulatory credit revenues of $739 million, which was up 33% from a year ago.
What we're watching: Tesla's earnings will likely see Musk address the impact of his political views on the company's performance, based on early questions investors have been discussing online.
