BYD, a prominent Chinese competitor, has emerged as the leading manufacturer of electric vehicles, having sold 2.26 million units last year.

The company’s future vision, however, is shifting focus from car sales to innovations such as autonomous robotaxi services, energy storage solutions, and advanced robotics for both home and industrial applications.

To achieve these ambitions, the company must compete with Waymo, a pioneer in the autonomous taxi industry with a well-established customer base.

Additionally, navigating regulatory hurdles will be crucial for success.

The company is currently facing multiple federal safety inquiries and other investigations. In California, it faces the potential suspension of its car sales license due to a court ruling that it misled consumers about safety features.

According to Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities known for his optimistic outlook on the company, “Regulatory issues will be significant. We are dealing with matters of public safety.”

Still, Ives said he expects Tesla’s autonomous offerings will soon overcome any setbacks.

Musk has said he hopes software updates to his cars will enable hundreds of thousands of Tesla vehicles to operate autonomously with zero human intervention by the end of this year.

The company is also planning to begin production of its AI-powered Cybercab with no steering wheel or pedals in 2026.

To keep Musk focused on the company, Tesla’s directors awarded Musk a potentially enormous new pay package that shareholders backed at the annual meeting in November.

Musk scored another huge windfall two weeks ago when the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a decision that deprived him of a $82b ($US55b) pay package that Tesla doled out in 2018.