Good morning, market mavens. Aimee Joiner here, cutting through the noise to bring you the sharpest takes on Tesla today, Thursday, September 24, 2026.

FSD: The Billionaire's Bet and European Expansion

Full Self-Driving (FSD) is increasingly becoming the focal point for major investors and a key driver for Tesla's global strategy. Billionaire investor Ron Baron, a long-time Elon Musk supporter, explicitly stated that the "time to buy Tesla stock is now," directly attributing his bullish thesis to the adoption of FSD, rather than the company's more futuristic AI ventures like Robotaxi or Optimus The Motley Fool. Baron even went so far as to describe Optimus robots as "dystopian," diverging from Musk's own ambitious projections for the humanoid project The Motley Fool.

This sentiment aligns with Tesla's reported FSD growth. The company revealed 1.48 million active FSD subscriptions in Q2 2026, marking a significant 56% year-over-year increase The Motley Fool. Furthermore, over 55% of new deliveries in North America are now activating the subscription feature, indicating a growing default adoption for the technology The Motley Fool. Tesla's FSD Supervised system is actively expanding its footprint in Europe, with 70,000+ European customers having logged over 100 million public kilometers, demonstrating robust safety data Seeking Alpha. The system has secured regulatory approval in seven European markets, including Czechia most recently Eletric-Vehicles.com. A pivotal EU Technical Committee vote on bloc-wide FSD approval is slated for October 6, 2026, a date analysts are flagging as a critical catalyst for further adoption and revenue growth across the continent Seeking Alpha.

Cybercab Enters Production, Expands Testing

Tesla's purpose-built Robotaxi, the Cybercab, has officially entered production at Gigafactory Texas Gasgoo. This two-seater pure electric vehicle features a front-mounted single motor producing approximately 163kW (219hp) and is powered by a 326V lithium-ion battery with a capacity of roughly 47.6kWh Gasgoo. Notably, the Cybercab's cockpit lacks a steering wheel, accelerator, or brake pedals, relying entirely on a camera vision-centric perception architecture, supplemented by an in-cabin system and integrated 5G and Starlink V5 connectivity Gasgoo.

The expansion of Cybercab testing beyond established zones is also making headlines. Approximately 35 Cybercabs were recently spotted in Devon, Pennsylvania, a suburb near Philadelphia, undergoing "training" for future deployment Basenor. This fleet size suggests Tesla is proactively building inventory ahead of regulatory approvals, rather than waiting for permits before staging vehicles Basenor. However, commercial autonomous ride-hailing in Pennsylvania requires a permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), which Tesla has not yet secured for the region Basenor. All Cybercabs observed in Pennsylvania, including earlier sightings in Pittsburgh, are currently operating at Level 2, requiring a human operator to remain responsible for the vehicle Basenor.

Market Watch

TSLA opened at $380.12 today MarketBeat. The stock closed at $376.30 on the prior trading day, down 1.01%. As markets are open, TSLA is currently trading at $379.48 The Motley Fool. The company's market capitalization stands at $1.50 trillion MarketBeat. The 50-day simple moving average is $348.16, while the 200-day simple moving average is $379.10 MarketBeat.

Analyst sentiment remains mixed. BNP Paribas Exane cut its price target on TSLA to $268.00 from $280.00, reiterating an "underperform" rating and suggesting a potential downside of 29.50% from current levels MarketBeat. Mizuho, conversely, maintains an "outperform" rating with a $450.00 price target MarketBeat. Truist Financial set a $370.00 price objective with a "hold" rating, while Guggenheim initiated coverage with a "neutral" rating MarketBeat. The consensus average rating for Tesla is currently "Hold," with an average target price of $411.89 MarketBeat. Mark Krieger of Seeking Alpha upgraded TSLA to a "Strong Buy," citing FSD adoption and regulatory milestones as key drivers Seeking Alpha.

Institutional holdings data shows Engineers Gate Manager LP reduced its TSLA stake by 67.2% in Q2 2026, now holding 1,237 shares valued at $520,000 MarketBeat. Conversely, Insight Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake by 2.8%, holding 2,605 shares worth $1,096,000 MarketBeat. Overall, 66.20% of Tesla's stock is owned by institutional investors MarketBeat.