The Financial Post reports in its Friday edition that Tesla's profit plunged despite a record quarter of vehicle sales, reflecting strains on the automotive business that chief executive officer Elon Musk is shifting focus away from. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post says that Mr. Musk spent much of Tesla's third-quarter earnings call discussing ambitious but opaque initiatives, including humanoid robot and artificial intelligence programs, and also pleaded with investors to back his $1-trillion (U.S.) compensation package. He offered few details about how Tesla will revive its core business selling electric vehicles after a 40-per-cent drop in operating profit. "We're left with this lingering uncertainty regarding what the near-term growth drivers will be," said Garrett Nelson, analyst at CFRA Research. Adjusted earnings dropped to 50 cents a share in the third quarter, down 31 per cent from a year ago. The results extended a string of weaker-than-expected profit to four straight quarters, showing the company is not immune to the rising costs buffeting the auto industry as President Donald Trump dramatically reshapes policy. Dec Mullarkey at SLC Management said, "There is not much here to inspire investors."