TD Cowen reiterated a Buy rating on Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) shares on Friday, maintaining its price target at $460. The reiteration implies approximately 32.76% upside from the stock’s recent trading level of $346.50. Analyst Itay Michaeli described his view as cautiously positive, driven by confidence in Tesla’s autonomous vehicle (AV) strategy, though tempered by the absence of public safety data that would allow direct comparison with competitor Waymo.

The rating update followed a discussion hosted by TD Cowen during its Internet Bus Tour featuring autonomous vehicle expert Alex Roy. Roy identified Tesla and Waymo as the two firms best positioned to scale AV ridesharing nationally. He noted that while Waymo leads in safety and rollout scale, it faces hardware constraints for licensing to automakers. In contrast, Tesla is focused on improving software safety but lacks head-to-head safety data against Waymo.

Roy suggested that rider behavior could favor Tesla over time, predicting younger customers may accept Tesla’s current safety levels as sufficient. He also indicated a roughly five-year window for a leading U.S. company to secure dominant national scale in the sector.

Technical Position

Tesla shares were up 0.07% to $340.21 at the time of publication. Technically, the stock showed signs of stabilization in the short term but faced headwinds over longer horizons.

Shares held above their 20-day simple moving average of $328.87 and traded near their 20-day exponential moving average of $337.65. This support prevented a sharper decline. However, the stock remained significantly below longer-term averages:

The relative strength index (RSI) sat at 45.96, indicating neutral momentum. The stock was neither oversold enough to trigger a bounce nor strong enough to suggest buyer control. Traders identified $355.50 as resistance, aligning with a zone where past rebounds stalled, and $297.50 as support, just above the 52-week low of $297.38.

What the Numbers Show

The divergence between short-term and long-term technical indicators highlights a market in transition. While immediate selling pressure has eased enough for the stock to hold above its 20-day averages, the significant gap below the 50-day and 200-day averages confirms a broader downtrend persists. The neutral RSI reading reinforces this stalemate, suggesting traders are waiting for a decisive break above the $355.50 resistance level before committing to a long-term bullish stance.

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) is preparing to demonstrate its next-generation Roadster, featuring rocket hardware developed jointly with SpaceX. According to reports from The Information, the demonstration is scheduled for as early as this month at a SpaceX testing site in McGregor, Texas.

The event centers on a cold gas thruster system, internally code-named A71. This hardware uses pressurized inert gas for attitude control, similar to technology SpaceX employs for Falcon 9 booster landings, rather than combustion. Approximately ten thrusters are positioned where rear seats would typically reside.

Performance and Safety Protocols

Elon Musk has claimed the A71 system can accelerate the Roadster from 0 to 60 mph in about 1.1 seconds while briefly lifting the vehicle off the pavement. Due to potential hearing damage from high-pressure gas release, spectators are expected to stand several hundred yards away. The demonstration vehicle will be remotely operated without a driver and is not street legal.

Production Timeline and Pricing

The program has experienced significant delays, missing at least eight internal deadlines. The target date has slipped from an original timeline through April, May, June, and now August. Musk reportedly received a private preview of the system in late April.

Tesla intends to sell a limited-edition version equipped with the thruster package alongside a scaled-down variant. Pricing for these models could range into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

What the Numbers Show

The divergence between the aggressive performance claims (1.1-second acceleration) and the operational constraints (remote-only, non-street-legal) highlights a strategic focus on marketing spectacle over immediate commercial viability. The repeated deadline slippage suggests complex engineering integration challenges between automotive and aerospace systems.

Market Skepticism

Skepticism remains regarding the literal interpretation of "flying" capabilities. Electrek noted that a recent Roadster-related patent filing made no mention of thrusters, rockets, lift, or flight, suggesting production hardware may differ from public hype. Automotive analysts have also questioned whether hovering features would meet basic safety and liability standards for road-legal vehicles.

At the time of publication on Friday, Tesla shares were up 0.71% at $342.36. SpaceX shares were down 3.64% at $136.13.