Tesla Rises 4% on Thruster-Powered Roadster Reveal; Rivian Edges Higher, Lucid Holds Steady David Moadel Fri, October 16, 2026 at 8:29 AM EDT 5 min read TSLA -1.29% RIVN +0.54% LCID +6.38% SPCX -2.33% DRIV -0.26% Explore stocks on Coinbase Trading disclosure Trading disclosure The above button links to Coinbase. Yahoo Finance is not a broker-dealer or investment adviser and does not offer securities or cryptocurrencies for sale or facilitate trading. Coinbase pays us for certain activity generated through this link. Prices displayed are informational.
Tesla surged 3% after unveiling a Roadster that flips midair on SpaceX cold-gas thrusters, while Rivian gained 1% and Lucid held flat.
The SpaceX-linked stunt lifted Tesla above large-cap tech as the QQQ fell 0.2%, though the Roadster still lacks a price or regulatory path.
Tesla's 1.48 million FSD subscriptions and $43.5 billion cash back the bull case, but a 1.4% operating margin keeps skeptics cautious.
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A sports car that flips in midair is giving Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) a lift. Tesla stock is up 4% to $375.29 in morning trading, rising after the company revealed a redesigned Roadster that adopts hardware from a rocket maker. Even with that advance, Tesla shares remain down 17% year to date (YTD).
Meanwhile, Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ:RIVN) stock is up 1% to $13.15, a smaller gain than Tesla stock. Lucid Group (NASDAQ:LCID) stock is essentially unchanged at $3.50, trailing both Tesla and Rivian shares.
Large-cap tech is slipping. The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) is down 0.2%, leaving Tesla shares with a wide lead over large-cap tech. For a sector check, the Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF (NASDAQ:DRIV) is practically unchanged this morning.
Tesla unveiled its redesigned Roadster on Thursday night at a SpaceX (NASDAQ:SPCX) rocket test site in Texas. During the demonstration, the car flipped in midair and landed using cold-gas thrusters borrowed from SpaceX. SpaceX develops the Raptor engines behind its Starship program, so the Roadster puts that propulsion pedigree on a Tesla showcase.
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Pricing for the thruster-equipped Roadster versions is still unannounced, and Tesla has yet to lay out a road-approval path for them. The Roadster also went unmentioned on Tesla's Q2 2026 earnings call in July, where management focused on Model Y, Robotaxi, Cybercab, Optimus and the Semi.
Earlier this month, Tesla reported Q3 2026 deliveries that beat a consensus it compiled itself. Those deliveries still trailed the year-earlier quarter. Model YL, launched in the U.S. in July, joined Tesla's lineup before that delivery report.
Rivian and Lucid are smaller electric vehicle makers with no link to SpaceX hardware. On the product side, Rivian sells the R1T pickup, the R1S SUV and the midsize R2, while Lucid offers the Air sedan and the Gravity SUV. Tesla already uses SpaceX's Starlink inside the Cybercab, giving it a hardware tie that precedes the Roadster.
Shares of both smaller car makers trail Tesla stock on a YTD basis. Over the same span, Rivian shares are down 33%, and Lucid shares are down 67%.
Autonomy is where plans at Tesla, Rivian and Lucid overlap most directly. Driverless service from Tesla now runs in seven U.S. metros, while Rivian has a partnership covering up to 50,000 autonomous R2 robotaxis. Lucid lists its own robotaxi program among its four priorities under a new chief executive.
Engineering credibility grounds the bull case for Tesla, along with its closer ties to SpaceX. A car adopts flight hardware fits its push into Cybercab, Optimus robots and Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. Tesla posted record Q2 deliveries of 480,126 vehicles, and its active FSD subscriptions reached 1.48 million, up 56% year over year.
Skeptics see Tesla's showcase car with no price or road-approval path. The company's Q2 revenue rose 25.5% year over year to $28.24 billion, topping expectations, while adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.33 missed the $0.54 estimate.
Spending weighs heavily on Tesla, with its operating margin contracted to 1.4% and free cash flow at negative $1.09 billion in Q2. Management stated on the earnings call, "We continue to expect that CapEx for this year will be more than $25 billion." Its $43.5 billion cash pile gives Tesla room to fund that expansion.
Tesla now must see whether the Roadster becomes a priced, road-approved product. Tesla's next quarterly report will show whether demand for FSD and Model Y holds up.
Manufacturing deadlines add to the load, with Cybercab, Tesla Semi and Megapack 3 all slated for production this year while Optimus lines are being installed. Traders may prefer to keep their exposure small until the Roadster's path to market resolves.
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