Dan Ives Calls Tesla's Austin Robotaxi Launch A 'Watershed Moment,' Maintains Bullish Views On Tesla

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives has maintained bullish views on Tesla Inc. TSLA stock and believes Elon Musk is now focused on the EV giant.

What Happened: "This is a different Musk than we saw over the last one, three months. Dedicated, focused on Tesla, driving the next initiative." Ives said in an appearance on CNBC's Closing Bell on Tuesday.

Ives also said he believes Musk is doubling down in terms of Tesla's autonomous driving and robotaxi exploits. "Autonomous, Robotaxi, June, Austin, I view as a watershed moment for Tesla, and he's not backing away." Ives said.

Ives also said he believes there's a trillion-dollar market cap for Tesla, when talking about Autonomous driving and robotics, leading to him feeling "more bullish" following Musk's interview with CNBC on Tuesday.

Ives also believes that Musk's stepping away from his political activities with the Trump administration, as well as DOGE, has helped Tesla's brand image and boosted investor confidence.

Why It Matters: Ives's comments signal Musk reaffirming his commitment to Tesla as well as autonomous driving and robotaxis. The billionaire signaled that Tesla would begin rolling out Robotaxis in Austin in June and believes they could be ramped up to 1,000 vehicles in the coming months.

Musk also reiterated that Tesla could create a proprietary ride-sharing platform that could allow owners to also add or subtract their vehicles to Tesla's autonomous fleet, as he brushed off any potential deals with Uber Technologies Inc. UBER

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• Ross Gerber Slams Tesla’s FSD Technology Ahead Of Robotaxi Launch, Maintains Bearish Views On Elon Musk’s EV Giant After Dumping 10% Stake in Q1

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