Why Tesla Stock Popped Thursday

By Rich Smith – Dec 18, 2025 at 2:08PM ESTKey PointsTesla is reported to have sold 1,000 or even 2,000 Cybertrucks to SpaceX.Math suggests that Tesla has had trouble selling Cybertrucks to customers that Elon Musk does not own.These 10 Stocks Could Mint the Next Wave of Millionaires ›NASDAQ: TSLATeslaMarket Cap$1.6TToday's Changeangle-down(3.88%) $18.12Current Price$485.38Price as of December 18, 2025 at 2:39 PM ETTesla has found a captive customer -- in SpaceX.Tesla (TSLA +3.88%) stock jumped 4.5% through 1:45 p.m. ET Thursday on some apparently bad news -- that might turn out to be good news for Tesla stock, and for SpaceX stock, too (once SpaceX IPOs). As EV news specialist Electrek reports, deep in the heart of Texas, Elon Musk's SpaceX is snapping up tens of millions of dollars' worth of Tesla Cybertrucks to work at its Starbase spaceport. Image source: Tesla. How is this bad news? Electrek explains: Tesla originally planned to build 250,000 Cybertrucks a year, ramping as high as 500,000 units per year if the demand justified it. But demand didn't justify it. Crunching the numbers on Tesla's non-Model 3 and non-Model Y sales (Tesla groups S, X, and Cybertruck sales all together), Electrek calculates Tesla sold perhaps 20,000 Cybertrucks this year, turning Cybertruck into a gigantic "commercial flop." Advertisement Except for one thing: SpaceX. Squeezing corporate lemons and turning them into lemonade, Musk's SpaceX rode to the rescue of Musk's Tesla, buying between 1,000 and 2,000 Cybertrucks for SpaceX's work fleet. At $80,000 per unit, that's $80 million to $160 million in revenue for Tesla. ExpandNASDAQ: TSLATeslaToday's Change(3.88%) $18.12Current Price$485.38Key Data PointsMarket Cap$1.6TDay's Range$473.16 - $490.8652wk Range$214.25 - $495.28Volume3.1MAvg Vol86MGross Margin17.01% Turning bad news into good news Electrek sees this as bad news and a potential concern to investors in an upcoming SpaceX IPO. Viewed another way, though, if SpaceX needs trucks for its ground operations, why wouldn't it buy Cybertrucks from another Musk-owned company, if the alternative is giving money to a Musk competitor like Ford Motor Co. (F 0.04%) or General Motors (GM +0.81%)? Seems to me, keeping the money in the family (so to speak) is actually a bright idea. And if it means Tesla now has a captive customer in SpaceX, which can help Tesla make its sales numbers when it needs to, that's probably a good thing for Tesla stock.About the AuthorRich Smith is a contributing Motley Fool defense and stock market analyst covering publicly traded and emerging companies in defense, space, aerospace, and other sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Rich practiced international corporate law for Clifford Chance in Russia, and for the Russian-Ukrainian Legal Group in Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of William & Mary, a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and a language certification from the International Institute of Russian Language & Culture in Tver, Russian Federation. The Globe and Mail once featured him as “one of the best stock pickers since 2009.”TMFDittyX@RichSmithFoolRead NextDec 18, 2025 •By Lee SamahaWhere Will Tesla Be in 1 Year?Dec 17, 2025 •By Jeff SantoroStock Market Today, Dec. 17: Tesla Shares Fall After California Moves to Restrict Autopilot BrandingDec 17, 2025 •By Daniel MillerA Surprising Automaker Aims to Challenge Tesla -- Is It a Real Threat or Just Noise?Dec 17, 2025 •By Lawrence NgaTesla's 2025 Was a Turning Point. Here Are 3 Things Investors Should Know.Dec 16, 2025 •By Lawrence NgaTesla's EV Business Isn't the Star Anymore -- but It's Still the Whole StageDec 16, 2025 •By Neil PatelIs It Too Late to Buy Tesla Stock?