Tesla's bad news accelerates as Wall Street loses faith

Late last year, Tesla Inc. was fully charged and cruising down the highway on Autopilot.

Shares were trading above $370 each, sales of the Model 3 small electric car were strong and the company had appointed a new board chair to rein in the antics of sometimes impulsive CEO Elon Musk.

But around the middle of December, investors started having doubts about the former Wall Street darling's prospects for continued growth, and the stock started a gyrating fall that was among the worst in company history.

For the year, the share price is down around 40%, largely on concerns Tesla is running out of buyers for its vehicles, which range in price from a base $35,400 Model 3 to a larger Model X SUV that can run well over $130,000.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, on a private call with investors this week, raised the possibility that Tesla would have to be restructured due to rising debt and falling sales. A leaked memo to employees from Musk that said sales were up stanched the stock's bleeding, and no one is really certain about what's next.

Here's a look at what has happened and what might be in the future for the electric car and solar panel company:

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WHEN DID TESLA'S STOCK START FALLING AND WHY?

A downhill snowball of bad news eclipsed anything good Tesla did, and raised investor doubt about whether there are enough buyers left who want and can afford Tesla vehicles. Throw in a little bit of erratic behavior from Musk as well.

Just before Tesla stock hit a late-year peak on Dec. 13, Musk did a weekend interview with CBS' 60 Minutes that escalated a spat with securities regulators over his tweeting out company information. This time, he said it was unrealistic to think Tesla's new chairwoman could control his behavior because he's the largest shareholder. It came...