Could Tesla’s (TSLA) Cybercab Unlock a New Growth Driver?

Analysts at Barclays and Piper Sandler issued bearish calls on Fluence Energy (FLNC), citing a 66% stock decline since June. The company's shares are at a one-year low, according to MarketSurge, and were down 1% pre-market Thursday.

Tesla reported $1.11B Q2 net income, with $1.01B from an unrealized SpaceX gain. Operating income fell 57% YoY to $398M, margin shrank to 1.4%. Capital expenditures surged 142%, turning free cash flow negative. Grok AI now controls vehicle functions, but Optimus production details remain unclear. Market cap at $1.4T, heavily reliant on AI ventures.

Huawei unveiled its Kirin 9050 Pro chipset and Mate XT2 foldable smartphone, while Apple introduced its iPhone Duo. Huawei is involved in China's efforts to develop domestic semiconductor technology. Tesla faces challenges in China amid competition and regulatory hurdles. Intel, TSMC, and Samsung endorsed ASML's high NA EUV system for advanced chip production.

Tesla launched its Cybercab without a public event, steering wheel, or pedals, drawing federal scrutiny. The NHTSA is investigating its certification. The vehicle's two-seat design excludes families. Tesla's stock dropped 6% post-launch. According to the company, it has 45 Cybercabs registered in Texas.

Tesla released FSD software updates, including v14.3.9 with Automatic Collision Evasion for HW4 vehicles, and v14.2 Lite for HW3. The new feature activates during manual driving to avoid crashes, requiring active FSD. HW3 vehicles receive UI tweaks and improvements.

Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) system has been approved in six EU countries, including Slovenia, but its impact on sales is unclear. Registration data shows mixed results, with some markets like France and Germany seeing gains due to incentives, while others like Norway and Spain have declined. Tesla reports elevated interest and record subscriptions in FSD-approved markets. The EU-wide vote on October 6 could further expand FSD's availability.