Tesla’s fourth-quarter results are an early sign that the pioneering automaker has entered a new phase, according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. Tesla beat estimates on the top and bottom lines for the fourth quarter. However, its auto gross margin came in at 25.9%, down from more than 30% a year ago. That decline shows Tesla needs to get aggressive on pricing to defend its turf as the rest of the auto industry struggles to catch up with the electric vehicle, Ives said Wednesday. “They ultimately have to sacrifice margins for volume. And now the question is, with a price war happening in China, what does the trajectory look like in 2023,” Ives said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” Wednesday. Tesla has apparently implemented extensive price cuts in recent weeks, which may be partly due to increasing competition. “This is what I see as a moment of truth for Tesla. Can they increase deliveries — which we think they can — and the scale and maintain the margins that are so far above the industry,” Ives said. Tesla maintained its long-term outlook for 50% compound annual growth in vehicle deliveries, but its 1.8 million projection for 2023 would fall short of that mark. Ives said it was smart for the company to roll out a more realistic number in an uncertain economic environment.