Investor's Corner
Tesla gets another ‘Outperform’ rating amid China’s upcoming tariff suspension
Tesla stock (NASDAQ:TSLA) has received yet another “Outperform” rating from Wall Street, this time coming from Wedbush, which recently launched coverage of the electric car maker. The new vote of confidence comes amidst news that China has agreed to enact a 3-month suspension for the additional 25% tariffs it placed on cars and parts entering the country from the United States.
Wedbush analysts led by Dan Ives expressed their optimism on Tesla in a recent note, echoing Elon Musk’s statements about the company having a compelling product roadmap for years to come. The analysts pointed out that Tesla would likely be a driving force for the automotive sector’s shift towards sustainable transportation, with the Model 3 leading the charge.
“The company has the most impressive product roadmap out of any technology/auto vendor around and will be a ‘game-changing’ driving force for the EV transformation over the next decade with Model 3 front and center,” the Wedbush analysts noted.
Ives further noted that Tesla has a “golden opportunity” to ramp the sales of the Model 3 in 2019, which would likely “translate into massive free cash flow and profitability” for the company. Â The Wedbush analysts placed a $440 price target on TSLA stock as well, representing a 16% upside from Thursday’s closing price.
As Tesla gains another vote of confidence from Wall Street, the company’s business in China seems to be getting a boost for the coming quarter as well. In a recent announcement, China’s State Council Customs Tariff Commission stated that it was suspending the extra 25% tariffs it placed on cars and parts being imported from the United States as a result of the US-China trade war. The import tariff suspension is set to last three months, taking effect on January 1, 2019.
In response to the Chinese government’s announcement, Tesla has adjusted the pricing of the Model S and Model X in the country. Tesla was able to adjust the price of its electric cars by as much as 105,000 yuan ($15,200) for the Model S 100D. The Model S75D’s price received a $6,000 adjustment, while the Model X 75D’s price was reduced by $10,000.
Update with English version & USD pricing table.
Tesla officially lowered the prices (Model S And X) in China🇨🇳: some models have cut prices by more than $15K USD, a drop of 11%Q1 2019 sales numbers (China) will be insane!!$TSLA #Tesla #China #TeslaChina pic.twitter.com/luHQbyZNN3
— vincent (@vincent13031925) December 14, 2018
The upcoming suspension of the trade tariffs for American-made cars bodes well for Tesla. The additional duties have weighed down the company’s business in the region during the past few months, pushing Tesla to roll out a program last month that allowed it to “absorb” part of the 40% import tariff, making its electric cars more affordable.
Without the additional import tariffs, though, Tesla’s performance in China is quite impressive. Prior to the start of the US-China trade war, China’s Customs Tariff Commission under China’s cabinet announced that it would reduce car import duties from 20-25% to just 15%. Similar to the price adjustments rolled out today, Tesla promptly cut the prices of its vehicles in its stores across the country then. The response from the market was strong and immediate, resulting in a Shanghai Tesla store selling out its entire Model X 75D inventory in 24 hours.
As of writing, Tesla shares are trading -1.50% at $371.16 per share.
Disclosure: I have no ownership in shares of TSLA and have no plans to initiate any positions within 72 hours.
Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli responded to rumors of an imminent bankruptcy that was reportedly being mulled after a report stated the automaker was working with the firm AlixPartners to iron out its next steps.
The company felt a massive loss on Wall Street yesterday, as the report essentially pushed the stock down as much as 55 percent on Tuesday.
The report, published initially by Eletric-Vehicles.com, claimed Lucid was essentially in dire straits and was told by AlixPartners, a commonly used restructuring advisor, to either take shares private or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Lucid’s head of Communications, Nick Twork, immediately challenged the report and stated the company “has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year.”
Now, the company’s CEO is chiming in as well, stating that the report is “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Napoli said:
“Lucid is not considering bankruptcy or a transaction to take the company private. Those reports are false. The Board did not explore either scenario. Period.
As disclosed in our most recent quarterly filing, Lucid has sufficient liquidity to fund its operations well into next year.
We work with outside advisors to improve operational performance and execution. They are not advising Lucid on a take-private transaction or bankruptcy, and any suggestion that they have recommended either course of action to management or the Board is false.
My priority is clear: turn this company around. That is where the leadership team and I are focused.
I look forward to providing a full update during our quarterly earnings call on August 4th.”
🚨 Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli calls rumors of financial issues “so far from the facts that they require a direct response.”
Read his full remarks here: https://t.co/t3Pg1NHvzy pic.twitter.com/LvHUPhO4Qf
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 15, 2026
It seems pretty clear that Lucid is confident things will be okay, and, to be honest, they should not have much to worry about, especially considering the company has been backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for years. It has solid financial backing, and its sales, while weak, are pretty much right on par with a company of this age.
Lucid also sent a Cease & Desist letter to the publication for their report.
Lucid shares have rebounded nicely and are up nearly 21 percent at the time of publication. As soon as the company dispelled the rumors of bankruptcy yesterday, the stock began to climb back toward more reasonable levels.
Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group has denied rumors of an imminent bankruptcy after a report from this morning sent the stock on a dramatic drop on Wall Street, seeing losses of more than 40 percent during trading hours.
Lucid’s Director of Communications, Nick Twork, responded to the report from Eletric-Vehicles.com, which stated the company’s restructuring advisor, AlixPartners, was asked to review two decisions: taking Lucid shares private or filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The report also claims AlixPartners told the Lucid board to “concentrate on Gravity production while improving its quality, and to temporarily hold back the Lucid Air, the sedan that has defined the company since its launch.”
Twork said:
$LCID The rumors are completely false. The company has sufficient liquidity to carry its operations well into next year, as recently published in its last quarterly filings, and it has not formed any special Board committee to explore the scenarios reported today. Our focus is…
— Nick Twork (@ntwork) July 14, 2026
Shares rebounded after the response to the report, halving its losses as the trading day neared 3 p.m. Eastern.
Lucid has struggled to get its sales off the ground and into more respectable numbers, but the company is in its early years, when things are hard to begin with. It is also backed by several notable investors, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has nearly limitless money and likely would not ditch an investment of this size so soon.
Lucid shares were down just 14 percent at the time of publication, a far cry from the 55 percent its losses topped out at during the day.
Tesla received a price target upgrade just on the heels of what was a crazy successful quarter for its automotive business, as the company reported a delivery beat of over 15 percent for Q2.
Jefferies analysts are upping Tesla’s price target (NASDAQ: TSLA) to $400 from $375, while maintaining their “Hold” rating on shares, and the strong automotive deliveries from Q2 is a big reason. However, there are some other catalysts that Jefferies believes position Tesla for a strong position in the second half of the year.
Strong Deliveries
Tesla reported 480,000 deliveries for Q2, while Wall Street was between 395,000 and 405,000, as an overall consensus. It was an incredibly strong quarter from a delivery perspective, and Tesla sold well more than it produced during the three months.
Tesla crushes Wall Street expectations, beats delivery estimates by over 15 percent
While vehicle deliveries are not necessarily looked at in the light that they used to be, Tesla still maintains a lot of advantages for keeping deliveries strong. With the loss of the $7,500 EV Tax Credit last year, Tesla still maintains a strong demand case for its EVs.
Robotaxi Performance
Tesla has been operating Robotaxi for over a year now, as it launched in Austin in mid-2025. That program has expanded to Houston and Dallas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and, most recently, Miami, Florida, the suite’s first appearance in the Sunshine State.
While the Robotaxi suite is still in its early phases and Tesla is working through things like fleet size and wait times, the company has been able to undercut the pricing of its competitors and has a great safety record.
Merger Speculation with Tesla and SpaceX
This is perhaps the biggest topic that many are speaking about with Tesla and SpaceX, and it is the one thing that seems to be on the mind of every investor.
Jefferies warns that growing talk of a Tesla-SpaceX merger could cause Tesla stock to trade more like a SpaceX proxy, which may disconnect it from underlying automotive fundamentals. SpaceX has a lot going for it, especially its compute deals that have been widely publicized as of late.
Profitability in New Projects Could Take Some Time
Tesla has a few long-term ventures in the pipeline, most notably the Optimus project and Robotaxi, which is launched but will take several years to expand to a meaningful level that resonates with everyday people.
This is something that investors need to be careful of. Tesla’s projects could take some time to round out, so Jefferies advises that these may carry initial losses, rather than immediate profit. Seasoned Tesla investors have echoed something like this for a long time; they knew going in it would not be an open-and-shut strategy. It was going to take time.
These new projects are no different.
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