Tesla’s equity attempted to find its footing on Wednesday, showing signs of stabilization following a turbulent session. In pre-market trading, the stock advanced by nearly 1% to approximately $421, seeking to recover from the prior day’s decline of over 4%. This tentative support arrives alongside a robust defense of the company from Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest, which has emphatically reiterated its bullish thesis centered on Tesla’s future as a robotaxi platform. Investor focus now shifts decisively to the upcoming quarterly results, scheduled for release on January 28.
Quarterly Results Loom Amid Delivery Slowdown
The immediate financial picture presents challenges. Market analysts project earnings per share of $0.46 on revenue of $24.75 billion for the quarter, marking a sequential decline from the previous quarter’s $0.50 EPS and $28.1 billion in sales. These subdued expectations follow the already disclosed delivery figures, which painted a clear picture of current headwinds. Tesla reported fourth-quarter deliveries of 418,227 vehicles, representing a 15.6% decrease year-over-year. For the full year 2025, total deliveries reached 1.636 million units, an 8.6% drop from 2024 levels. This performance allowed Chinese rival BYD to surpass Tesla in pure electric vehicle sales.
Margin compression remains a key concern. The company’s operating margin contracted to 5.8% in the third quarter, a significant reduction from the 10.8% recorded in the prior-year period. The pressure on hardware profitability underscores the strategic importance of the company’s new software-focused initiatives.
Strategic Pivot to Subscription and ARK’s Robotaxi Forecast
In a significant strategic shift, Tesla will transition its Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability in the United States entirely to a subscription model beginning February 14. Priced at $99 per month, the program targets an ambitious goal of 10 million active users, as CEO Elon Musk pivots toward building a foundation of recurring software revenue over one-time payments.
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ARK Invest has seized upon this transition to amplify its long-term valuation argument. The investment firm’s analysis contends that Tesla’s core value driver is not the FSD subscription service itself, but the future autonomous robotaxi network it enables. ARK forecasts that this business segment could account for roughly 90% of the company’s total enterprise value by 2029. The firm notes that initial driverless robotaxi services are slated to launch in Austin and the Bay Area later this year, with production of the dedicated “Cybercab” vehicle expected to commence in the second quarter.
In a related regulatory development, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has granted Tesla a five-week extension for its ongoing investigation into FSD safety concerns, providing the company with a brief respite.
A Pivotal Week for Tesla’s Narrative
The January 28 earnings report is viewed as a critical event for stabilizing market sentiment. Beyond the headline financial metrics, Wall Street will scrutinize management commentary on the regulatory timeline for approval of fully driverless operation and updates on the Optimus humanoid robot project, which is scheduled to begin initial production in the first quarter.
From a technical perspective, Tesla’s share price is navigating a crucial zone around the $420 level. A failure to maintain this support threshold could trigger a retreat toward the $389 mark, placing added significance on the upcoming earnings catalyst and the strength of the bullish narrative championed by investors like ARK.
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