

News
Rivian R1T looks surprisingly large beside Tesla Model X in real-world sighting
The Tesla Model X is no small vehicle. At 198.3 inches long and 66.3 inches high, the 5,000+ pound all-electric SUV is large enough to seat seven adults and their cargo without any difficulties. If a recent sighting of the Rivian R1T is any indication, however, it seems that Tesla’s largest production vehicle to date could look surprisingly compact next to the upcoming all-electric pickup.
A video of a real-world sighting of two Rivian R1Ts was recently shared in the r/Rivian subreddit. Interestingly enough, the short clip featured one of the all-electric pickups driving on the freeway next to a Tesla Model X, which looked noticeably smaller than the R1T. Granted, a good part of this may be due to the Model X’s air suspension being at its low setting, but the R1T’s ride height seemed to be fairly low as well.
Two Rivian’s on I-280! Coincidentally driving next to a Tesla Model X ? from r/Rivian
Rivian’s vehicles may not feel as domineering as the steel, brutalist Tesla Cybertruck or the hulking Hummer EV, but they are pretty large vehicles on their own right. Electric vehicle advocates who have checked out the company’s prototypes have lauded both the R1T and R1S for their comfortable interior, with some even noting that the R1S feels almost like a Chevy Suburban scaled down to about 90%.
The Rivian R1T and its SUV sibling, the R1S, are expected to start deliveries this year, following a delay brought about by the pandemic in 2020. During its announcement late last year, Rivian noted that its US deliveries for the Rivian R1T and R1S Launch Edition should begin around June 2021 and August 2021, respectively, with deliveries in Canada following on November 2021. Both the Rivian R1T and R1S Launch Edition were sold out not long after they were open for ordering.
The all-electric pickup wars are about to begin, and the Rivian R1T may very well be the first one to make it to market. Considering its sleek, if not safe, design and overall feature set, the R1T has the makings of a successful entry into the pickup segment, even if fellow competitors like the Tesla Cybertruck and the GMC Hummer EV end up with numerous customers of their own.
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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.

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.
“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.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s xAI becomes Memphis’ 2nd largest taxpayer in just one year: report
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is reshaping Memphis’s economic landscape.

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is reshaping Memphis’s economic landscape. In just twelve months, the company has become the city and county’s second largest taxpayer.
The update was related in a report from The Wall Street Journal.
Memphis’ second-largest taxpayer
xAI is currently transforming a defunct Mississippi power plant into a crucial hub for AI, supplying electricity to its Colossus supercomputer cluster and its successor, Colossus 2. Together, the Colossi supercomputers will host more than half a million Nvidia chips that would be used for the development and improvement of Grok, xAI’s large language model.
The buildout has injected billions into the region, making xAI one of Memphis’s most significant private investors and a symbol of the city’s high-tech aspirations. Bill Dunavant III, a Memphis businessman who sits on the board of directors of the city’s chamber of commerce, highlighted xAI’s contribution to the city’s economy in a comment to the WSJ.
“In one year, xAI has become the second largest taxpayer in the city and county after FedEx,” he said. A spokesman for the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce has also stated that xAI has demonstrated “substantial economic commitment to our region, without any tax incentives.”
Not without controversy
Despite the economic boost, xAI’s footprint has drawn scrutiny. The company’s natural-gas-powered turbines are expected to consume a substantial amount of water and electricity. Critics have also expressed worries about pollution and increased utility costs, though others see Musk’s wastewater recycling plans and cleanup initiatives as meaningful offsets.
As per the WSJ, xAI’s positioning in the market may be quite different than what Musk is typically used to, considering that the CEO tends to become a first mover in key industries, such as the EV segment with Tesla and private spaceflight with SpaceX. With xAI, however, he is catching up to competitors, the most notable of which is a company he co-founded, OpenAI, and its ubiquitous large language model, ChatGPT.
News
Tesla all but confirms that affordable Model Y is coming Tuesday
It does appear that October 7 would be the date when the world sees Tesla’s actual idea of what an affordable vehicle would be like.

Tesla has released a cryptic teaser of a product that would be announced on Tuesday, October 7, 2025. Based on the company’s hint, it does appear that the product would be the affordable Model Y that has been spotted doing road tests across the country over the past months.
Affordable Model Y sightings
Last week, news emerged that a number of key Tesla influencers visited Gigafactory Texas for a private event. These included veteran Tesla YouTubers, car reviewers, influencers on X, and even a teardown expert who provided the initial insights on how to improve the original Model 3 sedan. At the same time, an uncovered unit of the apparent affordable Model Y was posted online. The vehicle was reportedly sighted close to Giga Texas.
The new Model Y variant had some notable changes from the standard Model Y. Its fascia seemed inspired by the Model 3 sedan instead of the Cybertruck, and its roof seemed blacked out. Overall, it looked like a simpler Model Y designed to be offered at an affordable price.
The weekend teasers
Teasers about an upcoming product were posted by Tesla’s official account on social media platform X, though the electric vehicle maker made it a point to keep things very vague. Initially, a closeup video of what appeared to be an aero wheel was posted, though it was vague enough that some speculated that it could be Elon Musk’s long-announced HVAC system instead.
On Sunday, another teaser video was posted featuring the headlights of a new car. This brought speculations that the new Roadster might finally be announced. Inasmuch as a new Roadster unveiling would be exciting, however, it was evident that the headlights in the new teaser were a match to the uncovered affordable Model Y unit that was spotted close to Giga Texas a few days ago. With this in mind, it does appear that October 7 would be the date when the world sees Tesla’s actual idea of what an affordable vehicle would be like.
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