New York, Feb 12, 2026, 07:14 EST — Before the opening bell
- Tesla shares ticked up roughly 0.5% before the bell, building slightly on the previous session’s small advance.
- Tencent Cloud plans to roll out WeChat-connected functions to Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y in China, delivering the update over the air.
- China demand hints, Tesla’s solar push, and management turnover are all on investors’ radar.
In premarket trading Thursday, Tesla gained 0.5%, moving up to $430.40. The stock had closed Wednesday at $428.27. 1
Tencent Cloud said it’s teaming up with Tesla in China to roll out a WeChat integration for Model 3 and Model Y drivers. The new features—instant location sharing and service suggestions based on where you’re headed—will hit vehicles through a wireless software update. More details in the Reuters story.
Why now: Strains are surfacing in China’s auto market, with regulators stepping up restrictions that affect everything from car features to design. January vehicle sales slumped 19.5% year-on-year, and “new energy vehicles” — China’s phrase for electric and plug-in hybrid cars — sank 22.9%, industry data cited by Reuters shows. BYD reported a steeper hit, with January numbers down 30%. 2
Investors are starting to revisit Tesla’s energy angle. Morgan Stanley’s Andrew Percoco pointed to possible gains if the company expands into solar in a big way. Percoco said Tesla’s vertical integration reflects Elon Musk’s ambition to launch solar-powered data centers into space. 3
Benchmark is sticking with its Buy call on Tesla, maintaining the $475 price target and describing 2026 as an “investment year” as the company ramps up spending in autonomy, AI, robotics, and energy infrastructure, per an Investing.com report. 4
Corporate shakeups are still coming. Tesla tapped Joe Ward, who runs its European operations, to lead global sales, Bloomberg News said. This follows the exit of its North American sales chief, per Reuters. 5
Here’s the flip side: premarket sessions tend to amplify swings, and those software bolt-ons aren’t easing the squeeze on prices in what remains a packed EV market. A major capital swing into solar? That would stretch investor patience for spending, especially with demand still bouncing around.
Eyes turn to the open for signs of momentum, while another set of Europe labor headlines looms. March will see works council elections at Tesla’s Berlin-area factory, coming on the heels of a criminal complaint the company filed—after a union member allegedly recorded a meeting in secret, according to a memo viewed by Reuters. 6
