For the week ending May 9, 2025, three small- and mid-cap auto stocks experienced notable increases in Stocktwits follower counts, reflecting heightened retail investor interest.

WeRide Inc. (WRD) | 28% Weekly Follower Jump

Last week, Nvidia-backed WeRide and Uber (UBER) unveiled plans to expand their autonomous vehicle partnership to 15 new cities over the next five years, targeting regions beyond the U.S. and China, including Europe.

The move builds on successful Robotaxi rollouts in Abu Dhabi and an upcoming debut in Dubai.

Guangzhou-based WeRide has been aggressively scaling its self-driving tech in China.

Despite WRD stock being down over 43% this year, retail sentiment last turned 'extremely bullish’ on Stocktwits.

Zapp Electric Vehicles Group (ZAPP) | 14.6% Weekly Follower Jump

Zapp, a maker of high-performance electric motorcycles, is gaining traction among growth-focused retail traders as it pushes into new markets.

In March, Zapp appointed Green Mopeds as its first authorized reseller in Great Britain. At its West London location, the premium urban electric motorbike i300 is available for test rides and display. Delivery and after-sales are backed by Zapp's drop-ship direct-to-customer model.

Last week, Zapp received type approval from the U.K.'s Vehicle Certification Agency, allowing i300 models that meet European Community standards to be registered for sale in Great Britain.

ZAPP stock is down over 69% year-to-date, but the retail traders remain 'extremely bullish' as of late Sunday.

Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (CPS) | 2.5% Weekly Follower Jump

Cooper-Standard reported a strong first-quarter (Q1) with adjusted EPS of $0.19, a sharp rebound from a $1.75 loss a year earlier, on revenue of $667.1 million. CEO Jeffrey Edwards called it an "outstanding" quarter driven by global execution and operational efficiency.

While trade and tariff uncertainty remains risky, the company sees solid demand for new light vehicles and expects improving margins as markets normalize.

CPS shares are up more than 80% year-to-date, but retail traders on Stocktwits were 'extremely bearish' as of late Sunday.

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