Tesla Rises 4% as ARK Reiterates $4,400 Long-Term Price Target on Robotaxi Thesis; Rivian Gains 3%, Lucid Holds Steady

Renewed conviction in a long-range robotaxi valuation is lifting Tesla shares far beyond the rest of the electric vehicle group. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA | TSLA Price Prediction) stock is at $406.31, up 4% in afternoon trading, a gain that pushes the company’s autonomy plans back to the center of the debate over what the business is worth.

Large-cap tech is stronger, though by a much smaller margin. The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) is up 1.2%, leaving Tesla stock running far ahead of the mega-cap pack.

Autonomous and electric vehicle names are running hotter than broad tech. Within that corner, the Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF (NASDAQ:DRIV) is up 2%, leaving Tesla shares comfortably in front.

ARK Doubles Down on Tesla’s Robotaxi Future

ARK Invest’s Tasha Keeney repeated the firm’s base-case price target of $4,400 per Tesla share by 2031. That call arrived after the prior session’s close and puts autonomy at the heart of ARK’s long-range case for the company. Most of Tesla’s enterprise value in that target year comes from robotaxis in ARK’s model, supported by rising adoption of Full Self-Driving among Tesla’s North American deliveries.

Tesla sells electric vehicles and is building robotaxi and Full Self-Driving businesses, which is where ARK places most of its value. Cybercab rides already run in Austin through Tesla’s Robotaxi service, which now operates until midnight. Full Self-Driving also lifts vehicle demand in markets where it’s available, tying the software story directly to car sales and the broader autonomy thesis.

Rivian Trails While Lucid Barely Budges

Meanwhile, Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) stock is at $11.72, up 3%, a solid move that still trails the advance in Tesla stock. Rivian sells electric trucks, SUVs and delivery vans, and its autonomy roadmap includes a robotaxi partnership with Uber built around the R2.

Lucid Group (NASDAQ:LCID) stock is at $3.41, up 0.2%, barely moving while Tesla stock rallies. Luxury electric sedans and SUVs make up Lucid’s lineup. The company is testing a robotaxi fleet with Uber and Nuro in the San Francisco Bay Area and Houston. Among the three automakers, Lucid stock is the clear laggard.

Tesla gets a second story from SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX), one that neither Rivian nor Lucid can match, and it comes with its own set of challenges. Tesla and SpaceX have each formed special committees of independent directors to evaluate a potential merger. Any deal still requires approval from both committees, both boards and shareholders, and no terms have been decided.

Tesla’s Robotaxi Thesis Meets Its Merger Review

Tesla’s bull thesis rests on robotaxis and Full Self-Driving adoption delivering the value ARK projects. On top of that, a SpaceX combination could add a second growth story.

However, ARK’s target is a long-range projection, and years of execution risk sit between that model and the price of Tesla stock, while merger talks could also end with no deal, removing the second story and leaving Tesla stock to trade on autonomy progress alone. A multi-year build-out of compute, battery and semiconductor capacity at Tesla adds another layer of risk while those programs mature and spending stays elevated.

Tesla’s special committee must still reach terms with SpaceX that both boards and shareholders support, and Full Self-Driving adoption must keep climbing at the pace ARK assumes. Investors sizing their TSLA stock exposure should keep their position sizes modest until the merger review concludes.

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