NEW YORK, Feb 18, 2026, 16:54 EST — After-hours
- Tesla shares were up about 0.2% after the bell, near $411.
- California regulators said Tesla avoided a 30-day license suspension after changing “Autopilot” marketing in the state.
- Elon Musk posted that the first production Cybercab rolled off the line in Texas; investors are watching the April ramp.
Tesla (TSLA.O) shares edged higher in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the automaker avoided a temporary suspension of its California dealer and manufacturer licenses by changing marketing language for its driver-assistance system. The stock was up about 0.2% at $411.32, after trading between $409.78 and $416.89 during the session. (Reuters)
California’s Department of Motor Vehicles said Tesla stopped using the term “Autopilot” in marketing its vehicles in the state, sidestepping a 30-day suspension tied to what regulators called misleading advertising of advanced driver-assistance features. “The DMV is committed to safety throughout all California’s roadways and communities,” DMV Director Steve Gordon said. (California DMV)
The move matters because the fight is not really about a word. It’s about how Tesla sells the idea of autonomy at a moment when buyers and regulators are pushing back on what driver-assistance systems can do, and what they cannot. Tesla has also begun adding “(Supervised)” language to its Full Self-Driving branding in California, clarifying that drivers must remain responsible. (The Verge)
Chief Executive Elon Musk, meanwhile, pointed investors back to the company’s robotaxi push. “Congratulations to the Tesla team on making the first production Cybercab!” Musk wrote on X, after Tesla said a Cybercab rolled off the line at its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. (Business Insider)
Industry site Electrive said series production is set to start in April, though the pace of the ramp remains unclear. It described the two-seat Cybercab as designed to compete with Alphabet’s Waymo and said Tesla is sticking with a camera-based approach rather than lidar sensors. (Electrive)
Tesla traded on Wednesday with Washington also in the background for EV makers. The Trump administration said it is rescinding a U.S. Energy Department rule that had boosted how automakers count electric vehicles toward fuel-economy compliance, a change that could alter incentives across the sector. (Reuters)
In Europe, Tesla faced fresh labor friction at its factory near Berlin. Germany’s IG Metall filed a defamation complaint against a plant manager and sought a court injunction, while Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “Legal disputes are not our preferred form of dispute resolution,” union representative Jan Otto said. (Reuters)
But the California decision is also a reminder of the downside case: autonomy sells the story, and it also attracts the scrutiny. TechCrunch reported the dispute had dragged on for nearly three years, and that California is Tesla’s biggest U.S. market — the kind of place where a licensing hit can quickly turn into a demand hit. (TechCrunch)
Traders will be watching whether Wednesday’s modest bounce holds into Thursday, and whether the marketing changes stay confined to California or spread more broadly. The stock has been sensitive to small cues around autonomy timelines and regulatory headlines.
On the product side, investors are likely to look for follow-through on Cybercab production plans and any signals on how quickly Tesla can move from a photo-op unit to volume output. The regulatory path for a vehicle designed without conventional controls remains a key unknown.
The next clear dates on the calendar are Tesla’s planned April Cybercab production start and the company’s next earnings report, which major earnings calendars currently peg for April 21. (Yahoo)
