Tesla Faces Union Lawsuit and Safety Concerns

Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst

Source: Benzinga

Updated: 2 hours ago

0mins

TSLA-1.63%

RIVN-7.11%

Should l Buy TSLA?

Source: Benzinga

Union Legal Battle Escalates: The German metalworkers' union IG Metall has filed a criminal defamation complaint against the manager of Tesla's Berlin factory, accusing him of spreading false claims related to a works-council meeting, potentially increasing legal risks for Tesla's operations in Europe.
Robotaxi Safety Record Deteriorates: New reports in the U.S. indicate that Tesla's Robotaxi fleet experienced five additional crashes in January 2026, bringing the total to 14, with an accident frequency of one crash every 57,000 miles, significantly worse than the rate Tesla claims for human drivers, which could undermine consumer confidence.
Brand Strategy Under Scrutiny: Investor Ross Gerber criticized Tesla's brand image as having turned

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Analyst Views on TSLA

Wall Street analysts forecast TSLA stock price to fall

30 Analyst Rating

12 Buy

11 Hold

7 Sell

Hold

Current: 417.440

Low

25.28

Averages

401.93

High

600.00

Current: 417.440

Low

25.28

Averages

401.93

High

600.00

Tigress Financial

Buy

initiated

$550

2026-02-12

New

Reason

Tigress Financial

Price Target

$550

AI Analysis

2026-02-12

New

initiated

Buy

Reason

Tigress Financial resumed coverage of Tesla with a Buy rating and $550 price target. The firm sees long-term growth and value creation "increasingly" being driven by Tesla's evolution from a pure-play EV manufacturer into "a multi-layered physical AI platform." The firm sees "the physical AI growth flywheel" being driven by expanding Full Self Drive subscriptions, robotaxis, and Optimus humanoid robots to stack on top of "an already sizable and profitable EV and energy base," the analyst tells investors.

Morgan Stanley

analyst

Equal Weight

maintain

$415

2026-02-10

Reason

Morgan Stanley

analyst

Price Target

$415

2026-02-10

maintain

Equal Weight

Reason

Morgan Stanley believes Tesla's decision to allocate capital to solar manufacturing is rooted in a strategic long-term outlook around geopolitics and data center demand, adding that the firm preliminarily estimates that Tesla Solar, at full capacity, could add $20B-$50B, or $6-$14 per share, of equity value to a Tesla Energy business that the firm currently values at $140B, or $40 per share. While "not too material to Tesla's valuation on a standalone basis," the firm believes allocating capital to adding solar capacity may be justified by the value creation and growth opportunities that having a vertically integrated solar and energy storage business can yield, adds the analyst, who has an Equal Weight rating and $415 price target on Tesla shares.

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About TSLA

Tesla, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, sells and leases high-performance fully electric vehicles and energy generation and storage systems, and offers services related to its products. Its segments include automotive, and energy generation and storage. The automotive segment includes the design, development, manufacturing, sales and leasing of high-performance fully electric vehicles, and sales of automotive regulatory credits. It also includes sales of used vehicles, non-warranty maintenance services and collisions, part sales, paid supercharging, insurance services revenue and retail merchandise sales. The energy generation and storage segment include the design, manufacture, installation, sales and leasing of solar energy generation and energy storage products and related services and sales of solar energy systems incentives. Its consumer vehicles include the Model 3, Y, S, X and Cybertruck. Its lithium-ion battery energy storage products include Powerwall and Megapack.

About the author

Emily J. Thompson

Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.

Tesla's Cybercab Production Goal Set for April Reaffirmed by Elon Musk

14 hours agoBenzinga

Production Goal Reaffirmed: Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterated on social media that production of the Cybercab will commence in April, marking a significant advancement in the company's autonomous vehicle efforts.
Radical Production Redesign: Musk revealed that Tesla is adopting a 'radical redesign of car manufacturing' to achieve approximately 5X higher production rates, indicating that while initial output may be slow, it will ramp up significantly over time.
Autonomous Fleet Outlook: Musk predicts that Tesla's autonomous fleet will become the largest in the future, despite the current Full Self-Driving (FSD) service requiring human intervention, reflecting the company's ambitious technological goals.
Market Performance: As of February 13, Tesla's stock gained 0.09%, closing at $417.44, indicating market confidence in the company's growth potential.

Tesla Shifts Full Self-Driving to Subscription Model

1 day agoseekingalpha

Subscription Model Shift: Tesla (TSLA) has launched a full self-driving (FSD) subscription service in core markets like the U.S. and Canada, charging approximately $99 per month instead of a one-time fee of nearly $8,000, aiming to lower entry barriers and enhance recurring software revenue.
Existing User Protection: Current owners who have paid for FSD will retain lifetime access, a strategy that not only safeguards existing customers' investments but also has the potential to attract new users, thereby expanding Tesla's customer base.
Technical Foundation and Market Positioning: FSD is built on Tesla's Autopilot foundation, incorporating features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping; although classified as a Level 2 driver-assistance system, its long-term goal is to achieve higher levels of autonomy, enhancing competitive positioning in the market.
Future Growth Potential: Analysts view the high-margin software revenue from FSD as a stabilizing factor for Tesla amid challenges in other business areas, while its integration with future robotaxi networks is expected to further enhance the company's long-term value.

Tesla Robotaxi Incidents Raise Safety Concerns

1 hour agostocktwits

Frequent Incidents: Tesla's robotaxis in Austin have reported 14 accidents since their deployment in June 2025, including five new incidents, highlighting serious safety concerns surrounding the technology.
No Safety Monitoring: The launch of robotaxis without safety monitors in January 2026 marks a critical step in CEO Elon Musk's ambition to deploy autonomous vehicles across the U.S. by year-end, but raises significant safety worries.
Accident Details: The latest five reported incidents include collisions with fixed objects, a bus, and backing into obstacles, indicating various safety risks that could undermine public trust in Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology.
Regulatory Investigation: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into approximately 2.9 million Tesla vehicles due to potential traffic law violations related to FSD, increasing market uncertainty regarding Tesla's future prospects.

Tesla to Launch Steering-Wheel-Free Electric Vehicle Soon

2 hours agoFool

Cybercab Production Plans: CEO Elon Musk confirmed that production of the Cybercab, a steering-wheel-free and pedal-free electric vehicle, will begin in April, integrating into Tesla's Robotaxi autonomous ride-sharing network, which is expected to further enhance the company's advancements in self-driving technology.
Market Demand Challenges: Despite significant progress in autonomous driving technology, investors must consider whether demand for this new vehicle will be sufficient to support its high valuation, especially in an increasingly competitive electric vehicle market.
Autonomous Vision: Tesla is transforming into a higher-margin, robotics-focused business, with the vice president stating that the majority of miles driven in the future will be autonomous, emphasizing the company's shift towards providing transportation as a service rather than just selling vehicles.
User Participation Model: The Cybercab will allow owners to participate in a revenue-sharing program similar to Airbnb, which could attract more users to the Robotaxi network, thereby increasing Tesla's market share.

Cathie Wood Predicts Tesla's Optimus to Transform Factory and Home Life by 2028-2029

2 hours agoYahoo Finance

Complexity of Humanoid Robots: ARK Invest's research indicates that developing humanoid robots is 200,000 times more complex than robotaxis, a complexity attributed to Elon Musk's first principles approach and relentless determination, highlighting Tesla's technological challenges and potential breakthroughs in robotics.
Future Vision for Optimus: Wood projects that Tesla's Optimus will begin transforming factory and home life by 2028 or 2029, aligning with Musk's ambitious plans and indicating Tesla's strategic positioning in future technologies.
Economic Potential Unlocked: ARK Invest anticipates that humanoid robots could unlock $250 billion in untapped GDP by 2025, emphasizing the significance of humanoid robots in the future economy and their potential as a key driver of industry transformation.
Increased Investment Confidence: Wood's ARK Venture Fund holds stakes in SpaceX and xAI, totaling 17.54%, demonstrating strong confidence in Musk's other ventures and further solidifying Tesla's leadership position in the high-tech sector.