Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock rose over 5% on Tuesday amidst the release of investment firm Credit Suisse’s adjusted delivery estimates for the electric car maker’s Q1 numbers. Credit Suisse estimated 75,000 and 80,000 deliveries for Tesla, a number that may very well be feasible due to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Interestingly enough, Credit Suisse actually reiterated its “Underperform” rating and $415 price target on TSLA stock together with its updated Q1 estimates, as reported by StreetInsider. Yet despite this, TSLA stock has risen, which may be due to the fact that Tesla actually has a realistic chance of reaching the firm’s estimates despite a slow production quarter due to the widespread effect of the coronavirus.
Tesla’s Giga Shanghai in China, for example, was reopened in early February after an extended shutdown due to the onset of the coronavirus in China. The company’s main production facility in Fremont, California was also subjected to a production shutdown as COVID-19 began to hit the United States.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas has suggested that the coronavirus will affect Tesla’s delivery figures, though his estimates are a bit more conservative than Credit Suisse’s expectations. Jonas believes 88,000 Tesla vehicles will be delivered when the first quarter comes to a close, a number that exceeds the Swiss firm’s predictions by about 10%.
Jonas noted that Tesla will still hold a relatively strong showing for Q1 deliveries, even though the company will not be able to take advantage of its increased delivery rate during the last two weeks of the quarter, a strategy that has become somewhat expected. “Tesla typically delivers a disproportionate share of its quarter’s units in the last two weeks of the quarter,” Jonas said in a report to investors according to Barron’s.
While production at Fremont was shut down recently, Tesla employees still delivered some vehicles earlier in March. Tesla recently started delivering its new Model Y crossover this month as well, even adapting a new “contactless” system at some of its stores across the world.
Tesla closed out 2019 with a strong final quarter by delivering 112,000 cars, a majority of them being the Model 3 sedan. While delivery figures will most likely be smaller in the first quarter of 2020 because of the global pandemic, Tesla can still take positives from the quarter. Despite closing multiple production facilities, the company will probably still deliver more vehicles than it did in Q1 2019, a potential year-over-year growth compared to last year.
All is not grim and dark in the Tesla world. Automotive industry veteran Sandy Munro has predicted that Tesla will be the quickest automaker to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic due to the company’s vertical integration. If the pandemic manages to end within the next month, Tesla could still churn out a productive Q2 by ramping up to full production quicker than any other automaker.
Tesla shares are up 5.59% at $530.21 per share.
Disclosure: I have no ownership in shares of TSLA and have no plans to initiate any positions within 72 hours.
News
Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E
When ordering a new Ford Mustang Mach-E, you’ll now be hit with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
Ford is charging an additional fee for a basic EV feature on its Mustang Mach-E, its most popular electric vehicle offering.
Ford has shuttered its initial Model e program, but is venturing into a more controlled and refined effort, and it is abandoning the F-150 Lightning in favor of a new pickup that is currently under design, but appears to have some favorable features.
However, ordering a new Mustang Mach-E now comes with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
The frunk is the front trunk, and due to the lack of a large engine in the front of an electric vehicle, OEMs are able to offer additional storage space under the hood. There’s one problem, though, and that is that companies appear to be recognizing that they can remove it for free while offering the function for a fee.
Ford is now charging $495 on the Mustang Mach-E frunk (front trunk). What are your thoughts on that? pic.twitter.com/EOzZe3z9ZQ
— Alan of TesCalendar 📆⚡️ (@TesCalendar1) February 24, 2026
Ford is charging $495 for the frunk.
Interestingly, the frunk size varies by vehicle, but the Mustang Mach-E features a 4.7 to 4.8 cubic-foot-sized frunk, which measures approximately 9 inches deep, 26 inches wide, and 14 inches high.
When the vehicle was first released, Ford marketed the frunk as the ultimate tailgating feature, showing it off as a perfect place to store and serve cold shrimp cocktail.
Ford Mach-E frunk is perfect for chowders and chicken wings, and we’re not even joking
It appears the decision to charge for what is a simple advantage of an EV is not going over well, as even Ford loyal customers say the frunk is a “basic expectation” of an EV. Without it, it seems as if fans feel the company is nickel-and-diming its customers.
It will be pretty interesting to see the Mach-E without a frunk, and while it should not be enough to turn people away from potentially buying the vehicle, it seems the decision to add an additional charge to include one will definitely annoy some customers.
News
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.

