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Investor's Corner

Is it time for Tesla to partner up with another automaker? I think so.

Tesla’s Elon Musk and Toyota’s Akio Toyoda shaking hands in Palo Alto, CA cir. 2010. [Credit: Associated Press]

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Tesla’s stock has continued to slide over the last month, and not for one particular reason. The company has, by far, the best electric vehicles in the world, with the Model S, Model X, and Model 3 leading their segments by miles. Despite this, investors believe that the company is under immense pressure.

Elon Musk hasn’t really gotten the message. He’s plowing ahead with the multi-billion dollar Gigafactory in China, aggressively expanding the Model 3 to new countries, and doubling down on commitments to the super-delayed (but incredible) solar roof. Most other executives would throttle back expansion, allowing the company to widen profits and make investors happy. Musk isn’t like most executives (if you didn’t know that already?). He ignores the idea of ‘corporate strategy,’ and is far more interested in pushing the limit on what is possible. But, with over 40,000 employees and annualized production nearing 400,000 units, the company is entering a period in time in which long-term strategic planning would add tremendous value.

Time to deploy some strategery.

Let’s start with the Model Y. Or I should say, let’s begin with Tesla’s most important vehicle. The SUV market is exploding, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. The global SUV market grew from 9.8M units in 2013 to an estimated 23.8M units in 2020. That’s nearly 14% annualized growth over the last seven years. While Tesla has the Model X, it’s priced well above the average consumer’s budget and targets the highest-end of the market.

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On the other hand, the Model Y is poised to enter the hottest market in the world: mid-sized crossovers. With world-class technology and an affordable price, it is certainly going to be Tesla’s most popular vehicle. To meet demand, Tesla is going to need to scale production faster and more efficiently than ever before. The only problem? Tesla is already busting out of their massive Fremont facility, and their new facility in China will likely only feed the Asian market (remember the last Chinese-built car you saw on US or European roads? Me neither).

So what does the company do? Build a car in the Gigafactory? Expand Fremont further? Both options aren’t cheap or super fast. Well, let’s jump back to that point I made about long-term corporate strategy. Tesla is at a point where it can’t afford (without raising more cash) to start construction on another US or European factory, the company is already building a Chinese factory to meet existing demand is near cash-strapped. So what should they do? It’s time to partner up with another automaker, specifically Fiat Chrysler.

An Unlikely Marriage.

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) is one of the only automakers holding out on large investments into EV technology, GM is betting big and VW is betting even bigger. With Tesla’s cutting edge motor and battery technology, FCA could leap ahead of their rivals and electrify their fleet. First, the company could start by underpinning a vehicle -platform with Tesla’s powertrain, bringing more scale to Tesla battery operations and forgoing the multi-billion dollar expansion into the technology. Automakers have done these sort of partnerships for years. FCA already shares some diesel engines with GM, Daimler has borrowed VW engines, and most recently Toyota is borrowing a BMW engine for the iconic Supra.

(Photos: Tesla, Ram; Graphic: Christian Prenzler)

So what’s in it for Tesla? Let’s start with the main stage: cash. Musk isn’t interested in slowing down his global expansion, and he shouldn’t be. The company has tremendous demand and is on the cusp of launching several new products: Model Y, Semi, Roadster, and the Solar Roof. A large infusion of cash would allow the company to continue pushing the pedal to the metal. FCA has over $12B in cash, so the company could invest several billion dollars into Tesla. Outside of cash, FCA can lend some much-needed expertise in manufacturing and even some production capacity at one of the company’s two-dozen factories in North America.

I get it, teaming up with FCA doesn’t sound S3XY. But by teaming up with one of the largest automakers, Tesla gains a leg up in manufacturing and an infusion of cash that would allow Musk to continue investing heavily in expansion. What did you think of Tesla partnering with FCA?

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Disclaimer: This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Teslarati and its owners. Christian Prenzler does not have a position in Tesla Inc. or any of its competitors and does not have plans to do so in the next 30 days.

Christian Prenzler is currently the VP of Business Development at Teslarati, leading strategic partnerships, content development, email newsletters, and subscription programs. Additionally, Christian thoroughly enjoys investigating pivotal moments in the emerging mobility sector and sharing these stories with Teslarati's readers. He has been closely following and writing on Tesla and disruptive technology for over seven years. You can contact Christian here: christian@teslarati.com

Investor's Corner

Stifel raises Tesla price target by 9.8% over FSD, Robotaxi advancements

Stifel also maintained a “Buy” rating for the electric vehicle maker.

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Credit: Tesla China

Investment firm Stifel has raised its price target for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares to $483 from $440 over increased confidence in the company’s self-driving and Robotaxi programs. The new price target suggests an 11.5% upside from Tesla’s closing price on Tuesday.

Stifel also maintained a “Buy” rating despite acknowledging that Tesla’s timeline for fully unsupervised driving may be ambitious.

Building confidence

In a note to clients, Stifel stated that it believes “Tesla is making progress with modest advancements in its Robotaxi network and FSD,” as noted in a report from Investing.com. The firm expects unsupervised FSD to become available for personal use in the U.S. by the end of 2025, with a wider ride-hailing rollout potentially covering half of the U.S. population by year-end.

Stifel also noted that Tesla’s Robotaxi fleet could expand from “tiny to gigantic” within a short time frame, possibly making a material financial impact to the company by late 2026. The firm views Tesla’s vision-based approach to autonomy as central to this long-term growth, suggesting that continued advancements could unlock new revenue streams across both consumer and mobility sectors.

https://twitter.com/AIStockSavvy/status/1975893527344345556

Tesla’s FSD goals still ambitious

While Stifel’s tone remains optimistic, the firm’s analysts acknowledged that Tesla’s aggressive autonomy timeline may face execution challenges. The note described the 2025 unsupervised FSD target as “a stretch,” though still achievable in the medium term.

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“We believe Tesla is making progress with modest advancements in its Robotaxi network and FSD. The company has high expectations for its camera-based approach including; 1) Unsupervised FSD to be available for personal use in the United States by year-end 2025, which appears to be a stretch but seems more likely in the medium term; 2) that it will ‘probably have ride hailing in probably half of the populations of the U.S. by the end of the year’,” the firm noted.

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Investor's Corner

Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirms bullish view on Tesla after record Q3 deliveries

The firm reiterated its Overweight rating and $355 price target.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Cantor Fitzgerald is maintaining its bullish outlook on Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) following the company’s record-breaking third quarter of 2025. 

The firm reiterated its Overweight rating and $355 price target, citing strong delivery results driven by a rush of consumer purchases ahead of the end of the federal tax credit on September 30.

On Tesla’s vehicle deliveries in Q3 2025

During the third quarter of 2025, Tesla delivered a total of 497,099 vehicles, significantly beating analyst expectations of 443,079 vehicles. As per Cantor Fitzgerald, this was likely affected by customers rushing at the end of Q3 to purchase an EV due to the end of the federal tax credit, as noted in an Investing.com report. 

“On 10/2, TSLA pre-announced that it delivered 497,099 vehicles in 3Q25 (its highest quarterly delivery in company history), significantly above Company consensus of 443,079, and above 384,122 in 2Q25. This was due primarily to a ‘push forward effect’ from consumers who rushed to purchase or lease EVs ahead of the $7,500 EV tax credit expiring on 9/30,” the firm wrote in its note.

A bright spot in Tesla Energy

Cantor Fitzgerald also highlighted that while Tesla’s full-year production and deliveries would likely fall short of 2024’s 1.8 million total, Tesla’s energy storage business remains a bright spot in the company’s results.

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“Tesla also announced that it had deployed 12.5 GWh of energy storage products in 3Q25, its highest in company history vs. our estimate/Visible Alpha consensus of 11.5/10.9 GWh (and vs. ~6.9 GWh in 3Q24). Tesla’s Energy Storage has now deployed more products YTD than all of last year, which is encouraging. We expect Energy Storage revenue to surpass $12B this year, and to account for ~15% of total revenue,” the firm stated. 

Tesla’s strong Q3 results have helped lift its market capitalization to $1.47 trillion as of writing. The company also teased a new product reveal on X set for October 7, which the firm stated could serve as another near-term catalyst.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla just got a weird price target boost from a notable bear

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Credit: Tesla Manufacturing

Tesla stock (NASDAQ: TSLA) just got a weird price target boost from a notable bear just a day after it announced its strongest quarter in terms of vehicle deliveries and energy deployments.

JPMorgan raised its price target on Tesla shares from $115 to $150. It maintained its ‘Underweight’ rating on the stock.

Despite Tesla reporting 497,099 deliveries, about 12 percent above the 443,000 anticipated from the consensus, JPMorgan is still skeptical that the company can keep up its momentum, stating most of its Q3 strength came from leaning on the removal of the $7,500 EV tax credit, which expired on September 30.

Tesla hits record vehicle deliveries and energy deployments in Q3 2025

The firm said Tesla benefited from a “temporary stronger-than-expected industry-wide pull-forward” as the tax credit expired. It is no secret that consumers flocked to the company this past quarter to take advantage of the credit.

The bump will need to be solidified as the start of a continuing trend of strong vehicle deliveries, the firm said in a note to investors. Analysts said that one quarter of strength was “too soon to declare Tesla as having sustainably returned to growth in its core business.”

JPMorgan does not anticipate Tesla having strong showings with vehicle deliveries after Q4.

There are two distinct things that stick out with this note: the first is the lack of recognition of other parts of Tesla’s business, and the confusion that surrounds future quarters.

JPMorgan did not identify Tesla’s strength in autonomy, energy storage, or robotics, with autonomy and robotics being the main focuses of the company’s future. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving and Robotaxi efforts are incredibly relevant and drive more impact moving forward than vehicle deliveries.

Additionally, the confusion surrounding future delivery numbers in quarters past Q3 is evident.

Will Tesla thrive without the EV tax credit? Five reasons why they might

Tesla will receive some assistance from deliveries of vehicles that will reach customers in Q4, but will still qualify for the credit under the IRS’s revised rules. It will also likely introduce an affordable model this quarter, which should have a drastic impact on deliveries depending on pricing.

Tesla shares are trading at $422.40 at 2:35 p.m. on the East Coast.

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