Tesla car margins recover, but AI and robotics spending absorbs the gain

Tesla's third quarter showed its vehicle business regaining some per-car profitability even as total sales stalled. The improvement was largely consumed by spending on AI, robotaxis, and humanoid robots.

• Per-car profitability rose while overall sales stalled
• AI, robotaxi and robot spending absorbed the margin gain
• The quarter showed a recovery in Tesla's car business economics