News about Tesla

Nio's U.S.-listed shares rose nearly 1% overnight after the company reported that its third-quarter China sales surpassed BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi individually for the first time. Nio recorded 111,638 vehicles in China, versus 107,210 for BMW Group, 99,592 for Mercedes-Benz and 94,597 for Audi. Nio also outsold each German brand in eight provincial-level markets and 40 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong. CEO William Li praised Tesla's Roadster demo, though Tesla says its single-seat Rocket version is invitation-only and not approved for public roads. For its Firefly brand, Nio plans a 60-kWh CATL battery on October 23 offering 560 km under CLTC, up from the current 42.1-kWh pack.

Elon Musk told biographer Walter Isaacson, in a podcast interview reported by Axios, that the US national debt can only be solved with AI and robots, not by trying to save its way out. Musk said his time leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) showed how hard it is to cut the deficit from within government, because cutting wasteful spending means you make a lot of enemies. The U.S. national debt stood at roughly $40.39 trillion as of Oct. 15, according to Treasury data cited in the report. He added that he should have focused on AI sooner and been more in the background during his time in the Trump administration. The article also notes Tesla's shift toward robotics, and Musk's claim that AI and robots could enable universal high income, a view criticized by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Intel said Tesla has agreed to use its upcoming 14A manufacturing process as a foundry customer, and reported progress on output from its 18A node. The chipmaker also announced a US$20b equity raise to fund new factory buildouts tied to its foundry expansion. The article suggests Tesla's commitment shows chip buyers are willing to test Intel for advanced logic production, while heavy capital spending could weigh on free cash flow and delay foundry breakeven. Key signals to watch include whether Intel discloses more named 14A or 18A customers with meaningful dollar commitments, and whether Intel Foundry operating losses move toward management's late 2028 breakeven goal.

On October 15, Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy declared “flying cars are real” at a SpaceX facility in McGregor, Texas, where the second-generation Roadster was demonstrated climbing an inverted track, flipping through the air and landing softly before driving off. The car uses an underbody suction fan and compressed-air cold-gas thrusters to reach 0–60 mph in under one second. The Rocket version sits in a legal gray area, as its high-pressure gas tanks, aerospace-grade valves and protruding nozzles may conflict with NHTSA's federal motor vehicle safety standards, such as the requirement for crumple zones. Tesla's product page says the vehicle is “not approved for public road use,” and Musk said he is not sure it is legal in every jurisdiction; an NHTSA spokesperson said the manufacturer must ensure it does not defy federal standards and drivers must obey local traffic laws.

U.S. inflation reached 3.7% in September as energy costs jumped, prompting investors to look for fast-growing companies where insiders hold meaningful stakes. The article features CoreWeave, an AI cloud infrastructure provider with $7.59 billion in revenue from data processing and a market value of about $33.9 billion, and flags a risk that major cloud providers bringing compute in-house could leave it with stranded assets alongside a high-interest debt burden. Tesla is also highlighted, with its Automotive segment generating about $90.8 billion, energy generation and storage about $12.8 billion, and a market value near $1.4 trillion. The piece notes that Tesla is pursuing ambitious and speculative bets such as AI, robotaxis, humanoid robotics and battery storage, where competition is intensifying.