New Roadster materials revealed that the base Performance model lacks several premium features.
- Cybercabs ferried Austin Formula 1 fans as community trackers recorded 1,250 sightings on Saturday, with about 93% classified as driverless.
- Tesla’s Berlin factory produced a record 7,000 Model Ys in one week, moving closer to its 7,500-vehicle target.
- Phillip Securities raised its Tesla target to $230 from $220 but retained a ‘Sell’ rating.
Shares of Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) rose nearly 1% overnight heading into Monday after a busy stretch of Cybercab activity at Austin’s Formula 1 race, a Berlin production milestone and new Roadster details. However, Phillip Securities is still bearish on its valuation.
TSLA stock fell 0.6% on Friday to close at $372.22, but gained 5% for the week, its strongest weekly performance since late August.
Cybercabs Take Austin F1 Fans For A Ride
Tesla’s driverless ambitions were on display around the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, with photos showing lines of gold Cybercabs and Model Y robotaxis near the venue. “Robotaxis as far as the eye can see!” AI software chief Ashok Elluswamy said on X. Tesla investor and influencer Sawyer Merritt said more than 50 Cybercabs were dropping off passengers by midday.
Meanwhile, community tracker Cybercab Spotter logged 1,250 Cybercab sightings in Austin on Saturday, with 1,159, or about 93%, classified as driverless. Robotaxi Radar said both the total and driverless counts set new records.
Tesla expanded its Austin service boundary to the circuit last week and extended ride requests to 1 a.m., with nearby drop-off restrictions late at night. “It would be hard to overstate this point. It really is an extremely fast week-over-week growth in autonomous miles,” CEO Elon Musk said on Tesla’s recent earnings call. “The Cybercab fleet in Austin, for example, has grown by a factor of 10 since launch about a month ago.”
Tesla began paid Cybercab rides in Austin on Sept.3 and said more than 300 were serving the city by Oct.10. The company is targeting round-the-clock robotaxi service and initial customer deliveries before year-end, although most Cybercabs are expected to remain Tesla-owned.
The expansion comes ahead of a Friday deadline to answer U.S. safety regulators about certification of the Cybercab, which lacks a steering wheel and pedals.
Tesla Berlin Ramps Toward Bigger Output And Expansion
Meanwhile, Tesla’s Berlin factory hit a new weekly record of 7,000 Model Ys while operating around the clock on weekdays, plant manager Andre Thierig said. Output remains 500 vehicles below its 7,500-a-week target. “Making 7,000 cars in a single week is hard work for the entire team! And we will keep ramping from here. Job is not done!” Thierig said on X.
Tesla plans to seek approval in December for a second production hall spanning about 536,000 square meters. The production push follows Musk’s comments that demand is outstripping supply, driven partly by Full Self-Driving (FSD) adoption. “Demand is growing rapidly for our vehicles. It is exceeding our production by a significant margin,” he said on the earnings call. Tesla also said it had the largest passenger-vehicle backlog in four years, with battery availability constraining production.
New Roadster Details Reveal Premium-Trim Perks
Newly circulated Tesla Roadster press materials shared on X reveal key differences between the entry Performance model and the higher-end Thrust and Rocket versions.
The Performance lacks the cold-gas thrusters, gold-tinted windows, and “Supersonic” interior offered on the higher trims. Cryogenic-protected Ano White paint is exclusive to the Rocket. “All vehicle assets on the product page are Thrust or Rocket,” the documents say, indicating that Tesla’s online images do not show the base model.
The materials also contain conflicting door descriptions. Messaging guidance says the Performance should not be described as having butterfly doors, while a comparison sheet lists dihedral doors with removable roof panels as standard across all three versions. The Rocket carries 10 thrusters for acceleration, lift and yaw control, compared with four rear thrusters on the Thrust. Tesla claims the Rocket can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in under 0.59 seconds.
Tesla has not announced pricing. Reservations require $50,000 for the Performance and $250,000 for the Thrust, while the Rocket is invite-only.
Phillip Securities Raises TSLA Target But Stays Bearish
Phillip Securities raised its Tesla target to $230 from $220 on Friday but retained a ‘Sell’ rating, implying a 38% downside from current levels. The firm said higher spending was offsetting margin improvements.
Operating expenses rose 39% year-over-year, while operating margin fell to 2.6% from 5.8%. Tesla reported Q3 adjusted earnings of $0.48 per share, beating the $0.45 consensus, on revenue of $28.05 billion that was flat year-over-year. Free cash flow totaled $1.53 billion, and active FSD subscriptions reached 1.74 million.
How Do Retail Traders Feel About TSLA?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for TSLA flipped to ‘bearish’ from ‘bullish’ levels a week ago amid ‘high’ message volume.
One user said, “$TSLA the self driving party is over. Open class actions incoming, with Autopilot cases still moving. Open Class Actions.”
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Another user said, “$TSLA how this is still at $370 and rises every week amazes me! Earnings were terrible”
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So far this year, Tesla's stock has lagged its "Magnificent Seven" peers, making it the group's worst performer, down about 17%.
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