Zero To Sixty: Fort Worth Gets Tesla Robotaxi While UBS Upgrades Rivian And Citigroup Shuffles EV Holdings

Tesla expanded unsupervised Robotaxi service to Fort Worth this week while UBS upgraded Rivian and Citigroup boosted stakes in Rivian, Lucid and Tesla as BYD and XPeng posted strong October deliveries.

• Tesla launched unsupervised Robotaxi rides in Fort Worth this week across an estimated 143-square-mile zone centered on downtown.
• UBS upgraded Rivian to 'Buy' earlier this week, citing solid early R2 demand and a path toward positive automotive gross margins by year-end.
• BYD, Tesla’s chief global rival, reported October new-energy vehicle sales of 490,168 units, up about 11% year over year, with strong overseas shipments near 170,000.

Electric-vehicle developments this week included Tesla’s launch of unsupervised Robotaxi service in Fort Worth, a UBS upgrade of Rivian citing early R2 demand, and Citigroup’s third-quarter filing that showed increased stakes in some EV names while cutting positions in others.

Tesla Opens Unsupervised Robotaxi Service In Fort Worth

Tesla launched unsupervised Robotaxi rides in Fort Worth this week across an estimated 143-square-mile zone centered on downtown and extending toward Saginaw, White Settlement, Benbrook, Haltom City, and Forest Hill. It is Tesla’s seventh U.S. city with unsupervised rides and its fourth in Texas. The launch is the first new market in about three months. Rides are booked through the Robotaxi app with no safety monitor on board, consistent with other Texas operations. Tesla has not confirmed the initial vehicle mix or whether Cybercabs are included at launch.

Rivian Draws Wall Street Optimism

UBS upgraded Rivian to 'Buy' earlier this week, citing solid early R2 demand and a path toward positive automotive gross margins by year-end. The firm has a price target of $17 on the stock and noted that the recent selloff poses a buying opportunity.  

In the third quarter, the first full quarter after the company started delivering the R2 SUV to customers, the company’s deliveries reached a record 19,248 vehicles, prompting the company to increase its full-year outlook to 67,000–70,000 vehicles.

Tesla’s Chinese Rival BYD Clocks Growth; Smaller Startups Report Mixed Performance

BYD, Tesla’s chief global rival, reported October new-energy vehicle sales of 490,168 units, up about 11% year over year, with strong overseas shipments near 170,000. Battery electric vehicle deliveries alone amounted to 305,743 units in the month.

Guangzhou-based EV startup XPeng, meanwhile, set a monthly delivery record of 50,237 vehicles in October, up about 20% year over year, with overseas volume also reaching a record.

Other China-based startups such as Nio and Li Auto, however, experienced a dip. NIO delivered 34,246 vehicles across its brands in October, below the 40,397 recorded in the corresponding period of 2025. Li Auto delivered 29,025 vehicles, compared to 31,767 vehicles in October 2025.

Citigroup’s Auto Trades

According to a filing this week, Citigroup increased its Rivian stake by nearly 40% to about 8.56 million shares in the third quarter and more than doubled its Lucid position, raising holdings to roughly 4.25 million shares from about 2.06 million. It also raised its Tesla position by about 10%.

Citigroup, however, cut its XPeng holding by about 83% and reduced its Li Auto position while adding to NIO. The firm also exited its small position in California-based EV startup Faraday Future.

How Did Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around TSLA  trended within the 'bearish' territory at the time of writing, while sentiment around RIVN, XPEV, and NIO was on the 'bullish' end. Sentiment around LCID and LI stayed 'neutral.'

While TSLA has dived a deep 14% thus far this week, RIVN, LI, and XPEV have clocked high single-digit gains. 

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