New York, Jan 5, 2026, 09:16 EST — Premarket
- Tesla shares fell 2.6% in premarket trading.
- Investors weighed President Donald Trump’s fresh praise of CEO Elon Musk and renewed focus on Tesla’s humanoid-robot ambitions.
- Traders are looking ahead to Tesla’s quarterly results due later this month.
Tesla shares fell 2.6% to $438.07 in premarket trading on Monday, as investors digested weekend headlines involving CEO Elon Musk and renewed attention on the company’s Optimus robot program.
The move matters because Tesla stock has become increasingly sensitive to signals about its high-cost, long-horizon bets — including autonomy and robotics — rather than just near-term car sales. A shift in the narrative can move the shares quickly, especially with earnings season approaching.
It also lands as the U.S. electric-vehicle market adjusts to the end of federal tax credits, a change that has sharpened the focus on demand, pricing and margins for EV makers. Investors are looking for evidence Tesla can defend volumes without leaning harder on incentives.
Trump praised Musk in comments to reporters aboard Air Force One, and Musk later posted on X about having dinner with Trump and the first lady, according to a Reuters report carried by Investing.com.
The same report pointed to a Wall Street Journal account of technical hurdles in Tesla’s Optimus humanoid-robot effort, a project Musk has pitched as a future growth engine but that remains in development.
Tesla said on Jan. 2 it delivered 418,227 vehicles in the fourth quarter and produced 434,358, while deploying 14.2 gigawatt-hours of energy storage products — a quarterly record for deployments. The company also said it would report fourth-quarter results after the close on Jan. 28, with a management webcast later that day.
On the sell side, Truist analyst William Stein lowered his price target to $439 from $444 and maintained a hold rating after the delivery print, calling the stock’s bounce “better than feared.” He said investors should focus more on Tesla’s AI efforts, including Full Self-Driving, the company’s driver-assistance software sold as an option. TipRanks
Tesla’s delivery update also underscored the tougher EV backdrop. Reuters reported on Jan. 2 that Tesla’s quarterly deliveries fell more than expected and that China’s BYD overtook it as the world’s top EV maker, as competition intensified and the U.S. tax credit ended. Lucid on Monday reported fourth-quarter deliveries that beat analyst estimates, highlighting uneven demand across the sector.
The risk for Tesla bulls is that slowing demand forces deeper pricing moves that squeeze margins, while the revenue contribution from newer bets such as robotics and autonomy remains uncertain and dependent on regulatory and technical milestones.
Investors’ next clear catalyst is Tesla’s fourth-quarter results on Jan. 28, when the market will parse management’s outlook on deliveries, pricing and profitability — and any timeline updates on autonomy, robotaxi plans and Optimus.
