Investor's Corner
Tesla’s Elon Musk opens up about Giga-Texas selection, possible 3rd US factory
Tesla CEO Elon Musk opened up about his company’s decision to bring its next North American production facility to Austin, Texas, and also shared his thoughts on a third United States factory within the next few years.
Musk joined Jason Stein for the second part of the Automotive News podcast, where the CEO detailed the strong interest of his employees for an Austin Cybertruck factory over other Texas cities.
Before deciding on where Tesla would begin building its second U.S. production facility, Musk says that he had a sitdown with key members of the electric automaker’s team. Some members of Tesla’s management would have to move to Texas to oversee some of the company’s actions in the Lone Star State, and Musk wanted to make sure that those individuals were comfortable with where they would be moving to.
“When talking to key members of the team that would need to move to Austin from California in order to get the factory going, Austin was their top pick to be totally frank,” Musk said. “That was a big factor in choosing Texas and Austin. Specifically Austin. I guess a lot of people from California if you ask them what’s the one place you’d move outside of California, it’s Austin.”
Tesla was conflicted between some Texas cities, like Dallas, as well as Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the home of its next Gigafactory production facility. However, company executives were undoubtedly more prone to Austin, which could have ultimately led to the company choosing that location.
-->“That was a big factor, you know? Where do you want to spend time? And, where would you potentially move? Austin was just the number one choice,” Musk explained.
Musk personally announced the company’s intentions to build a new production facility in Austin during the company’s Q2 Earnings Call on July 22.
Although Tesla cannot directly sell to consumers in Texas due to current laws, it is the company’s second-biggest market, Musk said. Its centrally-located position in the U.S. was another reason Tesla chose to extend its hand to Austin. Not only would it make more sense economically to place a factory closer to the East Coast, but it also takes some stress away from the environment during the logistics process.
Musk indicated that transporting cars to East Coast-located buyers was not economical, nor was it good for the environment. These two factors, along with an increase in demand, could segway Tesla straight into a third U.S. factory.
The demand for Tesla’s electric vehicles continues to skyrocket, and there is the possibility that the company could end up building a third plant that could be located in the U.S. to take care of those needs.
-->Stein asked, “Do you think there could be additional areas of the U.S. that you’d consider for manufacturing beyond this?”
“I think at some point, there will be a third Gigafactory [in the U.S.],” Musk explained. “I’d imagine, you know, closer up North, Northeast, most likely.”
The Tesla CEO also indicated that the next facility could come in “four-ish” years as a rough estimate.
Tesla’s ultimate decision to create a manufacturing facility in Austin will cut down on the logistics timeline the company maintains for delivering its vehicles. East Coast customers will undoubtedly experience more efficient delivery timelines as the company will not be transporting cars from its Fremont factory in Northern California to various states in the Eastern half of the country.
Giga, Texas will produce the Model Y, Model 3, Semi, and Cybertruck.
-->The second part of Musk’s interview with Automotive News is available in its entirety here.
Investor's Corner
Mizuho keeps Tesla (TSLA) “Outperform” rating but lowers price target
As per the Mizuho analyst, upcoming changes to EV incentives in the U.S. and China could affect Tesla’s unit growth more than previously expected.
Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh lowered Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) price target to $475 from $485, citing potential 2026 EV subsidy cuts in the U.S. and China that could pressure deliveries. The firm maintained its Outperform rating for the electric vehicle maker, however.
As per the Mizuho analyst, upcoming changes to EV incentives in the U.S. and China could affect Tesla’s unit growth more than previously expected. The U.S. accounted for roughly 37% of Tesla’s third-quarter 2025 sales, while China represented about 34%, making both markets highly sensitive to policy shifts. Potential 50% cuts to Chinese subsidies and reduced U.S. incentives affected the firm’s outlook.
With those pressures factored in, the firm now expects Tesla to deliver 1.75 million vehicles in 2026 and 2 million in 2027, slightly below consensus estimates of 1.82 million and 2.15 million, respectively. The analyst was cautiously optimistic, as near-term pressure from subsidies is there, but the company’s long-term tech roadmap remains very compelling.
Despite the revised target, Mizuho remained optimistic on Tesla’s long-term technology roadmap. The firm highlighted three major growth drivers into 2027: the broader adoption of Full Self-Driving V14, the expansion of Tesla’s Robotaxi service, and the commercialization of Optimus, the company’s humanoid robot.
“We are lowering TSLA Ests/PT to $475 with Potential BEV headwinds in 2026E. We believe into 2026E, US (~37% of TSLA 3Q25 sales) EV subsidy cuts and China (34% of TSLA 3Q25 sales) potential 50% EV subsidy cuts could be a headwind to EV deliveries.
-->“We are now estimating TSLA deliveries for 2026/27E at 1.75M/2.00M (slightly below cons. 1.82M/2.15M). We see some LT drivers with FSD v14 adoption for autonomous, robotaxi launches, and humanoid robots into 2027 driving strength,” the analyst noted.
Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) has landed an elusive “must own” status from Wall Street firm Melius, according to a new note released early this week.
Analyst Rob Wertheimer said Tesla will lead the charge in world-changing tech, given the company’s focus on self-driving, autonomy, and Robotaxi. In a note to investors, Wertheimer said “the world is about to change, dramatically,” because of the advent of self-driving cars.
He looks at the industry and sees many potential players, but the firm says there will only be one true winner:
“Our point is not that Tesla is at risk, it’s that everybody else is.”
The major argument is that autonomy is nearing a tipping point where years of chipping away at the software and data needed to develop a sound, safe, and effective form of autonomous driving technology turn into an avalanche of progress.
Wertheimer believes autonomy is a $7 trillion sector,” and in the coming years, investors will see “hundreds of billions in value shift to Tesla.”
A lot of the major growth has to do with the all-too-common “butts in seats” strategy, as Wertheimer believes that only a fraction of people in the United States have ridden in a self-driving car. In Tesla’s regard, only “tens of thousands” have tried Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving (Supervised) version, which is v14.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2 – Full Review, the Good and the Bad
When it reaches a widespread rollout and more people are able to experience Tesla Full Self-Driving v14, he believes “it will shock most people.”
Citing things like Tesla’s massive data pool from its vehicles, as well as its shift to end-to-end neural nets in 2021 and 2022, as well as the upcoming AI5 chip, which will be put into a handful of vehicles next year, but will reach a wider rollout in 2027, Melius believes many investors are not aware of the pace of advancement in self-driving.
Tesla’s lead in its self-driving efforts is expanding, Wertheimer says. The company is making strategic choices on everything from hardware to software, manufacturing, and overall vehicle design. He says Tesla has left legacy automakers struggling to keep pace as they still rely on outdated architectures and fragmented supplier systems.
Tesla shares are up over 6 percent at 10:40 a.m. on the East Coast, trading at around $416.
Investor's Corner
Tesla analyst maintains $500 PT, says FSD drives better than humans now
The team also met with Tesla leaders for more than an hour to discuss autonomy, chip development, and upcoming deployment plans.
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) received fresh support from Piper Sandler this week after analysts toured the Fremont Factory and tested the company’s latest Full Self-Driving software. The firm reaffirmed its $500 price target, stating that FSD V14 delivered a notably smooth robotaxi demonstration and may already perform at levels comparable to, if not better than, average human drivers.
The team also met with Tesla leaders for more than an hour to discuss autonomy, chip development, and upcoming deployment plans.
Analysts highlight autonomy progress
During more than 75 minutes of focused discussions, analysts reportedly focused on FSD v14’s updates. Piper Sandler’s team pointed to meaningful strides in perception, object handling, and overall ride smoothness during the robotaxi demo.
The visit also included discussions on updates to Tesla’s in-house chip initiatives, its Optimus program, and the growth of the company’s battery storage business. Analysts noted that Tesla continues refining cost structures and capital expenditure expectations, which are key elements in future margin recovery, as noted in a Yahoo Finance report.
Analyst Alexander Potter noted that “we think FSD is a truly impressive product that is (probably) already better at driving than the average American.” This conclusion was strengthened by what he described as a “flawless robotaxi ride to the hotel.”
-->Street targets diverge on TSLA
While Piper Sandler stands by its $500 target, it is not the highest estimate on the Street. Wedbush, for one, has a $600 per share price target for TSLA stock.
Other institutions have also weighed in on TSLA stock as of late. HSBC reiterated a Reduce rating with a $131 target, citing a gap between earnings fundamentals and the company’s market value. By contrast, TD Cowen maintained a Buy rating and a $509 target, pointing to strong autonomous driving demonstrations in Austin and the pace of software-driven improvements.
Stifel analysts also lifted their price target for Tesla to $508 per share over the company’s ongoing robotaxi and FSD programs.
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