Tesla is making a huge bet on robots, telling the market its future isn’t mainly about electric cars anymore. Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, recently dropped a bombshell. He claims that a whopping 80% of Tesla’s future worth will come from Optimus, its human-like robot project. This new focus comes as Tesla faces a tough road, with car sales taking a hit, especially in Europe.
Musk’s comments, reported by Bloomberg and Cryptopolitan, suggest a major shift. He said that Optimus is set to become the main driver of Tesla’s market value. This news followed a new “master plan” from Musk. In it, he made clear that Tesla’s goals go beyond just cars. The company aims to bring artificial intelligence into the physical world through robots and energy systems.
Shifting Gears to Robots
Optimus is still in the works and isn’t making money yet. But Musk has placed it right at the heart of Tesla’s future plans. Back in January, he made an early guess that the first robots could be delivered in the second half of 2026. He warned, though, that this was just an early thought.
This new direction stands in stark contrast to Tesla’s current business. The company hasn’t earned a cent from robots. It has also missed goals from its past “master plans.” The first plan, from 2006, worked well. It helped Tesla grow from making a sports car to more affordable models. But the second plan, from 2016, promised electric trucks, buses, and a self-driving transport setup. Many of these projects haven’t happened, even after nearly 10 years. In 2023, the third plan even drew criticism from Musk himself. He called it “too complex for almost anyone to understand.” The latest document is shorter, under 1,000 words. However, it lacks clear numbers or timelines.
Electric Car Sales Hit a Wall
The move to robots also happens while Tesla’s car sales are slowing down. Global deliveries of vehicles dropped 13% in the first half of 2025. This could be the second year in a row that sales have fallen. It marks Tesla’s worst performance in recent years.
Europe is where things look especially rough. In July, sales there fell by 40%. August saw things get even worse. Car registrations in France plunged 47%, and in Sweden, the drop was a dramatic 84%.
More and more, Chinese rivals like BYD are gaining ground. They offer cheaper car models, eating into Tesla’s market share. Also, Tesla hasn’t updated its car lineup much. And Musk’s controversial choices have created a difficult mood for the brand in the region.
Norway: A Bright Spot for Tesla in Europe
Still, not all the news is bad. In Norway, a country leading the shift to electric cars, Tesla is holding strong. In August, 97% of all new cars sold were electric. Tesla was the top-selling brand in Norway that month. Its sales there grew 22% compared to the year before.
Spain and Portugal also saw modest increases in sales. Yet, these small gains aren’t enough to make up for the big drops in key markets like France and Sweden.
Despite these struggles, Musk has denied that Tesla is having problems in Europe. But the numbers tell a different story. As the car business falters, the Optimus robot seems like a strategic gamble. It also feels like a way to shift public attention away from the weak sales figures.