Tesla has rolled out its robotaxi service in Miami, extending its autonomous ride-hailing footprint beyond its initial Austin launch. The Miami expansion is meaningful because it represents the first major metro test of the Cybercab or FSD-supervised service in a high-density, complex traffic environment — a harder proving ground than Texas suburbs.
The commercial stakes are significant for Tesla, which reported FY2025 revenue of $94.8B — down 2.9% year-over-year — with gross margins at 18.0% and net margins compressed to just 4.1%, producing diluted EPS of $1.08. The robotaxi narrative has been central to justifying TSLA's premium valuation, and Miami is the first real data point on scalability.
The bull case hinges on flawless execution: clean safety records, growing ride volumes, and rapid city expansion would validate Tesla's vertically integrated autonomy stack and open a high-margin, asset-light revenue stream that could structurally re-rate the stock. Bears note the financials are under pressure — revenue declining and margins thin — meaning any safety incident, regulatory pause, or operational stumble in Miami could accelerate the derating already underway in core auto.
What to watch: incident reports, NHTSA engagement, ride volume disclosures, and any indication of expansion timelines to additional cities. Elon Musk's commentary on the next earnings call will be the next major catalyst for sizing the robotaxi opportunity.