Investor's Corner
Tesla investors want Elon Musk to discuss these things at Q3 Earnings
Tesla investors (NASDAQ: TSLA) want CEO Elon Musk to discuss these things on Wednesday as the company will report earnings for the third quarter of 2024.
Fresh off the heels of the “We, Robot” event, where Tesla unveiled the Cybercab, its version of a robotaxi, the Robovan, which could be named something completely different, and used the Optimus bot to serve drinks and entertain, the company will report earnings tomorrow.
Investors and analysts submit questions to Say, an investor relations platform, to ask Musk and other executives.
Here are the five things investors want to know about it:
Tesla $25k affordable model
Tesla has yet to shed any light on whether it will build a $25,000 EV apart from the Cybercab, which Musk said would be priced below $30,000.
Investors and analysts are well aware the vehicle could help Tesla break into an entirely new consumer base and help expand sales and deliveries, which are expected to be level with 2023 levels this year at 1.8 million.
Several of the top questions on Say ask about the $25k model and whether Tesla plans to bring this type of vehicle at this lower price point to market.
Unfortunately, Musk will likely deflect this question as he usually refuses to reveal any prospective vehicle plans on earnings calls.
Tesla Service
It is no secret Tesla Service has been a real bottleneck of the company in recent years, and with more vehicles on the road than ever, more service is needed.
Unfortunately, this is still a pain point for Tesla as it continues to struggle with reasonable wait times for owners, and although it has tried to streamline the process in the past, it has come up remarkably short.
It was not long ago that we reported on some owners complaining of service wait times of nearly two months. Imagine having a car that is in need of service, only to be told it will be two months before you can get an appointment.
Tesla owners complain about extended Service waits of nearly two months
Tesla wanted to streamline service with an F1-style pit-stop approach, but it truly never came to fruition. Although there are more service centers and mobile service vehicles nearly every quarter, Tesla is falling behind on creating an efficient maintenance model for owners.
Tesla Roadster
For years, we’ve been hearing the Tesla Roadster is coming.
This year was no different, as Musk said the vehicle would be unveiled at the end of 2024, but there are no current plans as of now, and there has not even been a hint. Tesla could have unveiled it at We, Robot, and it would have been a huge development.
(Credit: Tesla)
Musk said earlier this year that “most of the engineering” has been completed already, and production would begin next year.
Literally any clarification on whether this is still the plan would be massive for those who are waiting to drop $250,000 on the car.
Tesla Cybertruck AWD Tax Credit
Perhaps one of the most important questions that does not seem to be as important as the aforementioned topics is that of the Cybertruck AWD qualifying for the EV tax credit.
The IRS does not have the Cybertruck as a currently qualifying vehicle, which disqualifies owners who take delivery from the $7,500 credit, which is now available at the point of sale.
Ryan McCaffrey even brought up the issue:
I cannot believe that the #1 question isn’t, “What can you tell us about the individual tax credit eligibility on the Dual Motor Cybertruck? Is the issue with regulatory procedure on the IRS side or is there an element to the truck’s battery cells that disqualifies it?”
— Ryan McCaffrey (@DMC_Ryan) October 22, 2024
Tesla could clear the air significantly here and help bring some more information to owners or even prospective buyers who want to buy the Cybertruck but would like the help from the tax credit.
Tesla will report its earnings tomorrow at market close, 4 p.m. on the East Coast.
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Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.
“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Short, and was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”
Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation
For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.
Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.
While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.
Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.
In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.
Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.
It closed at $430.14 on Monday.
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.
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