Tesla’s week mixed a delivery beat and a Shanghai export surge with a European software rename and a larger Texas Cybercab list, while smaller rival Lucid cut production.

  • EV enthusiasts started the week digesting an Oct. 2 Tesla delivery print of 486,532 vehicles for the third quarter, above the near-462,000 consensus. 
  • Friday’s China Passenger Car Association figures showed Tesla Shanghai wholesale sales rose 5% year over year to 95,366 vehicles in September, the factory’s best month of 2026.
  • In Texas, tracker readings of the state DMV registry put purpose-built Cybercab registrations at 319 after 150 were added overnight on Oct. 8.

EV makers diverged again this week on the basics of building and selling cars: Tesla’s Shanghai plant posted its strongest month of 2026 in September, while the company renamed its driver-assist software in Europe after regulators called the old name misleading. Rivian delivered a record number of vehicles in the third quarter. Lucid, in contrast, built far fewer than it sold, cutting production as it worked through inventory.

Tesla Global Delivery Numbers Kick Off Week

Tesla opened the week with an Oct. 2 delivery print of 486,532 vehicles for the third quarter, about 25,000 above the 461,974 consensus, on production of 464,391 and 13.7 GWh of energy storage. 
Deliveries were still down 2.1% from the record 497,099 a year earlier, when U.S. buyers rushed to claim the $7,500 federal tax credit before it expired on Sept. 30, 2025. Electrek estimates put Cybertruck deliveries in the 7,000-to-8,000 range, a fraction of the line’s planned pace.

Tesla Shanghai’s Best Month Was An Export Story

Friday’s China Passenger Car Association figures showed Tesla Shanghai wholesale sales rose 5% year over year to 95,366 vehicles in September, the factory’s best month of 2026. Exports did the heavy lifting, up 58% to 30,529, while retail sales inside China fell 9% to 64,837. Through September, exports accounted for about 49% of Shanghai’s volume, against about 29% a year earlier. Shares closed the session near $383, up about 2%, after rising more than 3% in the morning.

Autonomy Software And Robotaxi Updates

Tesla began labeling Full Self-Driving as “Tesla Assisted Driving” on European sites after Germany’s transport ministry called the old name misleading and said Tesla had offered the change. Berlin now, however, backs an EU-wide approval for the technology, with a proposed cap of 10% above the speed limit.

In Texas, tracker readings of the state DMV registry put purpose-built Cybercab registrations at 319 after 150 were added overnight on Oct. 8. Model Y robotaxis were unchanged at 420, leaving the combined list at 739. The registry does not show how many of those vehicles are carrying paying riders.

Musk Draws The Line On Terafab

Earlier in the week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterated that Tesla and his rocket-manufacturing company, SpaceX, would retain ownership of the planned Terafab chip complex even if TSMC takes a role.

“No, we will build and run the fab. Let there be ZERO doubt about that. Maybe TSMC subleases part of the Terafab if they want, but nothing more than that,” he said, while confirming discussion between the two firms. Musk has PREVIOUSLY described Terafab as a very large fab meant to supply advanced chips for his companies’ autonomy, robotics and computing needs, on the argument that existing foundries cannot add capacity fast enough. 

Rivian’s Record, Lucid’s Cut

Rivian’s third quarter, reported to the end of last week, was a record: 19,248 deliveries, up about 46% year over year, and 19,751 vehicles produced. Lucid, by contrast, said on Monday that it delivered 3,806 vehicles, short of the roughly 4,700 analysts expected, and cut production 38% sequentially to 2,954 after dropping a second shift in Arizona. Deliveries still topped builds by 852 as the company drew down inventory.

Lucid’s delivery numbers worried Wall Street analysts, with BNP Paribas analyst James Picariello saying that he now sees a “long and difficult journey” to improve operations and drive demand for the company. The analyst also added that he does not see the company meeting his full-year delivery forecast, as it would require a substantial step-up in deliveries in the last three months of the year.

How Did TSLA, RIVN, LCID Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around TSLA was 'bearish' at the time of writing, while sentiment around RIVN and LCID stayed in 'neutral' territory.

While TSLA stock has dropped 15% year-to-date, RIVN has dropped 29% and LCID 64%. 

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