Investor's Corner
Tesla’s (TSLA) Elon Musk is currently the auto industry’s most tenured CEO
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) might easily be considered as a young, upstart electric car maker, but the company is actually being led by the car industry’s most tenured CEO today. In what could only be described as a twist of fate and a stroke of irony, Elon Musk has become the longest-serving CEO in today’s auto segment, having taken Tesla’s chief executive seat back in 2008.
Musk emerged as the car industry’s longest-serving CEO in May, when then-Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who had been serving as the German automaker’s chief executive since 2006, announced his retirement after 13 years on the job. And Zetsche was not the only one. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance also saw notable turnovers in the group’s CEO positions this year.
Back in January, Renault attracted headlines following veteran CEO Carlos Ghosn’s resignation over his alleged connection with a high-profile financial scandal. Last month, Mitsubishi, which maintains a notable presence in markets such as Southeast Asia, also announced the departure of its CEO, Osamu Masuko, who has been leading the company for the last five years. Even South Korean automaker Hyundai, which produces the practical and well-received Kona EV, saw some turnover in its executive positions earlier this year, with Chung Eui-sun being dubbed as co-CEO with Lee Won-hee, who also took over the chief executive post this year.
Following is a list of car company CEOs as well as their tenure as chief executive of their respective companies (H/T to Benzinga).
- Tesla: Elon Musk in 2008
- Toyota: Akio Toyoda, 2009
- General Motors (GM): Mary Barra, 2014
- Peugeot: Carlos Tavares, 2014
- Honda: Takahiro Hachigo, 2015
- BMW: Harald Krüger, 2015 (though he has recently confirmed that he will be stepping down as BMW’s CEO)
- Ford: Jim Hackett, 2017
- Nissan: Hiroto Saikawa, 2017
- Mazda: Akira Marumoto, 2018
- Volkswagen: Herbert Diess, 2018
- Fiat Chrysler: Michael Manley, 2018
- Suzuki: Toshihiro Suzuki, 2018
- Daimler: Ola Kaellenius, 2019
- Renault: Thierry Bolloré, 2019
- Mitsubishi: Takao Kato, 2019
Tesla gets a bad reputation at times for allegedly being a car company that cannot retain talent. Yet, together with Elon Musk, several of the electric car maker’s key executives have been with Tesla for long periods of time. Among these are CTO JB Straubel and Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, as well as President of Automotive Jerome Guillen, who joined Tesla back in 2010, before the first Model S rolled off the line. Other executives that recently rose through the ranks, such as CFO Zach Kirkhorn, have also been with the company since the days of the original Tesla Roadster.
It is evident from Tesla’s growing pains that Elon Musk is still learning the ropes as the company’s chief executive. This became evident during Tesla’s Model 3 production ramp, a “bet the company” strategy that Musk describes as one of the most arduous points in his career. These experiences ultimately give Musk a certain advantage over his fellow CEOs in the auto market, as it allows him to have a clear vision of Tesla’s strengths and weaknesses. This, in turn, enables him to roll out strategies that benefit the company in the long-term. An excellent example of this is Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, a substantial investment that was once deemed a folly by critics, but is turning out to be an act of remarkable foresight today.
-->Musk is recognized for being a disruptive visionary, and he really is. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO also deserves some credit for being a leader that sticks with a company through every up and down. Part of this is likely due to the fact that he sincerely fights for Tesla and its mission of accelerating the advent of sustainable energy. Ultimately, this could very well be a big difference-maker for Tesla’s chances of survival and potential success.
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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