DAX Slides As Tech And Retail Stocks Slump

Tesla CEO Elon Musk signalled closer operational ties with SpaceX, including potential corporate integration, during recent public comments. Musk highlighted a joint Terafab semiconductor manufacturing effort aimed at supplying custom chips for Tesla vehicles and energy products, and teased the upcoming Tesla Roadster reveal as a showcase for new technology that could leverage SpaceX-related engineering. The hinted Tesla SpaceX integration, the Terafab chip effort and the Roadster technology are only one part of Tesla's broader story, alongside its large electric vehicle operation and its energy storage and generation business. The Terafab partnership and talk of deeper SpaceX integration strengthen the part of the Tesla thesis that relies on tight vertical integration for AI hardware and software, pointing in the same direction as the robotaxi and Optimus plans, where the story depends on owning the full stack rather than relying on external chip suppliers like Nvidia. The news also leans into risks analysts already flag around heavy AI capex, execution complexity and regulatory friction, with a merger or deeper tie-up adding governance and integration questions on top of existing concerns about slower product ramps and already high spending, while competitors such as Mercedes-Benz or BYD keep pushing more conventional EV strategies.