The easiest thing to say is, don’t antagonize your core customers,” Yale economist and study author Kenneth Gillingham said.

Tesla Inc. sees the forthcoming Cybercab as its long-promised more affordable electric vehicle — and it’s willing to make fundamental design changes to sell the car in high volumes.

Tesla's FSD v14.1.2 update reintroduces Mad Max mode, enabling higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than the standard Hurry profile setting.

TSLA stock dropped 73.6% from a peak of $409.97 on 4 November 2021 to $108.10 on 3 January 2023, compared to a peak-to-trough decline of 25.4% for the S&P 500. Since then, the stock rose to a maximum of $479.86 on 17 December 2024 and is currently trading at $452.42

Domestic sales would have been between 67 percent and 83 percent higher from October 2022 to April 2025 had it not been for the "Musk partisan effect."

However, Tesla is now facing significant competition from an unexpected rival. Meet Chinese smartphone and smart home giant Xiaomi ( XIACF +1.03%), which has branched out to electric vehicles. With an aggressive pricing strategy, higher claimed range, and deeply integrated human-vehicle-home ecosystem, Xiaomi is giving Tesla a tough fight.

Not only did Tesla sales suffer, but the study also found that competitive EV brands saw a likely-Musk-induced bump.

NHTSA is investigating Tesla’s “Mad Max” driving mode amid reports of risky behavior, adding to recalls, cost cuts, and renewed scrutiny for the automaker.

A lot of the news from Tesla 's ( TSLA +2.12%) latest earnings report -- which dropped last Wednesday -- focused on CEO Elon Musk's plans for the future: his "robot army," autonomous vehicle technology, and of course, his potential $1 trillion compensation package.

Tesla’s European sales in September were 39,837 vehicles, down 10.5%, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.