Building on yesterday's near-record surge, Tesla shares closed at a record $489.88 on December 16, 2025, after CEO Elon Musk confirmed unoccupied driverless testing in Texas. The rally underscores investor faith in Tesla's AI and autonomy push amid EV headwinds.
Tesla's stock rose 3.1% on December 16, 2025, eclipsing the prior record of $479 from December 2024 and lifting market cap to $1.63 trillion—the seventh-largest globally.
This followed Monday's 3.6% gain to $475.31, driven by Musk's X post: "Testing is underway with no occupants in the car," advancing unsupervised robotaxi trials in Texas. Shares are up 21% year-to-date, more than doubling from April lows tied to political and trade issues.
New SEC filings showed institutional buying, including WT Wealth Management's 178.7% stake increase, Orion Portfolio Solutions up 14.8%, and Momentum Wealth Planning's $3.11 million entry. Tesla also revealed a $1.2 billion battery plant investment in Berlin.
Challenges remain with slowing EV growth, cost pressures, and regulatory hurdles, but analysts like Wedbush eye $600 targets on AI potential. Musk's net worth hit $684.3 billion post-rally.
