Tesla just pulled a classic Musk move - dropping a Full Self-Driving update while everyone's fixated on the company's mystery announcement teased for today. Shares jumped 5% Monday as speculation swirls around cryptic social media clips that could reveal anything from the long-promised budget model to the next-gen Roadster. With Tesla's auto sales in a multi-quarter slump, this timing feels deliberate.
Tesla announced a new version of its Full Self-Driving supervised technology Tuesday morning, but the timing feels like strategic misdirection. While investors parse cryptic teaser clips, the company quietly pushed out incremental tech updates - classic Elon Musk theater.
The real buzz started over the weekend when Tesla dropped a teaser clip on X featuring a spinning, logo-emblazoned component that could be anything from a wheel cover to a turbine. The clip ended with "10/7" - today's date. A second clip followed Sunday, showing vehicle headlights emerging from darkness.
Shares climbed 5% Monday as online speculation reached fever pitch. The smart money's betting on either the long-awaited budget model or the next-generation Roadster that Musk has dangled for years. But with Tesla, "something else" is always on the table.
The company hasn't released a new model since the Cybertruck started shipping in late 2023 - and that angular steel pickup never matched the popularity of the Model 3 sedan or Model Y SUVs. Eight voluntary recalls later, the Cybertruck feels more like a proof of concept than a mainstream hit.
Tesla's facing real pressure. Auto sales are in a multi-quarter slump, driven partly by consumer backlash against Musk's political rhetoric and an aging vehicle lineup. Competition from Volkswagen and BYD isn't helping. The company's desperately trying to shift investor attention to its future as a robotics and autonomous vehicle business.
Last October's "We, Robot" event in Hollywood showcased a sleek Cybercab concept - no steering wheel, no pedals, $30,000 price tag. As of Tesla's second-quarter earnings call, it still wasn't in production. The pattern's familiar: big promises, longer timelines.
Take the next-gen Roadster, promised at a 2017 event. Musk claimed in 2021 it would "fly," then said last year it was being redesigned with SpaceX. Still no production timeline.
