Tesla made a car fly. Yet, the stock price fell. — Is 'carbon fiber' the next thing to watch?
October 15, 2026.
Tesla, led by Elon Musk, has finally made a car fly through the air.
What was unveiled at the new Roadster launch event was not just a next-generation EV.
It was a sports car equipped with propulsion technology derived from SpaceX, capable of changing its posture in mid-air and jumping over multiple vehicles.
The line between automotive and aerospace technology is beginning to blur.
However, the following day in the stock market, an unexpected scene unfolded.
Tesla stock fell. Meanwhile, Japanese carbon fiber-related companies Toray and Teijin rose.
Of course, it is not certain that this price movement was triggered by the same news.
Even so, it seems that an interesting investment theme is hidden in this announcement.
In a world where flying cars become a reality, who will truly benefit?
This time, I would like to consider this from three perspectives: technology, stock prices, and the materials industry.
1 | What Tesla unveiled is not an ‘airplane’
The new Roadster announced this time is a new iteration of the next-generation sports car first revealed in 2017.
Its biggest feature lies in the high-pressure gas thrusters that apply SpaceX technology.
A typical EV transmits motor power to the tires to drive.
However, the special specification of the new Roadster applies propulsion directly to the vehicle body through compressed gas injection.
It is said that this mechanism is used to achieve short-term levitation and attitude control in the air.
Furthermore, a system that sucks the vehicle body to the road surface using powerful fans has also been adopted.
In the announcement, the following performance was demonstrated.
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0-60 mph (approx. 97 km/h) acceleration: less than 1 second
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Short-duration levitation via gas thrusters
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In-air vehicle attitude control
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Upside-down driving using a suction system
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Scheduled start of production: 2028
However, there is an important point.
This does not mean that a practical flying car capable of moving freely through the air has been completed.
This demonstration merely showed short-duration aerial maneuvering using a specialized propulsion system.
Many challenges remain before commercialization, such as public road usage permits, flight safety, and mass production costs.
Nevertheless, the fact that an automaker has incorporated aerospace technology into an actual vehicle is intriguing.
It may have presented a new direction for future automotive development.
2 | The car flew. But the stock price did not
On October 16, 2026, Tesla’s stock closed at $354.72.
This was a decrease of $7.72 from the previous day, a decline of 2.13%.
Indicator values: October 15 closing price $362.44, October 16 closing price $354.72, change from previous day -$7.72, percentage change -2.13%
Although there was a brief surge in buying during after-hours trading following the announcement, selling pressure dominated during regular trading hours.
Despite showcasing technology that surprised the world, why was the stock market’s assessment so harsh?
One hypothesis is that technological innovation and corporate profitability do not necessarily align.
The new Roadster is a high-priced, specialized sports car and is unlikely to be a flagship product that expands sales through mass distribution.
Moreover, production is not scheduled to begin until 2028.
At this point, it is difficult to evaluate it as a project that will significantly change Tesla’s earnings.
On the other hand, what investors expect from Tesla is not just electric vehicles.
Self-driving, Robotaxi, AI, and the humanoid robot Optimus.
How much revenue these businesses can generate in the future has become a key point in considering corporate value.
Also, the NASDAQ Composite Index fell by about 2.1% on October 16th.
In other words, it is not appropriate to explain Tesla’s decline solely by disappointment with the Roadster.
It is possible that the market’s overall risk-averse stance pushed down the stock price.
The assessment of Tesla’s technological capabilities and the assessment of its current stock price level are separate matters.
3 | Meanwhile, carbon fiber-related stocks rose in Japan
The Roadster announcement was scheduled for 9:55 AM Japan Standard Time on October 16th.
In other words, it was during the time the Japanese stock market was open.
The possibility that the announcement content influenced the rise of Toray and Teijin cannot be denied.
However, no direct evidence has been confirmed at this time to show that the rise in both companies was triggered by the Roadster announcement.
Moving forward, it is necessary to verify whether funds actually flowed in by cross-referencing minute-by-minute charts, trading volume, and related news from around the time of the announcement.
4 | Why is ‘carbon fiber’ attracting attention?
Carbon fiber is a material that is lightweight yet possesses high strength.
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), which is combined with resin and other materials, is used in a wide range of fields including aircraft, automobiles, high-pressure vessels, and sporting goods.
What we want to focus on with this Roadster is the technology called high-pressure gas thrusters.
In a mechanism that stores high-pressure gas and ejects it to generate propulsion, a vessel that can withstand the pressure is crucial.
Generally, carbon fiber composite materials are considered one of the leading technologies for realizing lightweight high-pressure vessels.
However, the fact that Toray or Teijin were chosen as suppliers for the high-pressure vessels used in this Roadster has not been confirmed.
The potential for expanding material demand and the ability of individual companies to capture that demand must be considered separately.
Nevertheless, the technological direction toward lighter weight, higher strength, and higher pressure is an important theme for the carbon fiber industry.
And this demand is not limited to flying cars.
Aerospace, next-generation mobility, hydrogen-related equipment, and industrial machinery.
In these markets as well, there are situations where light and strong materials are required.
If the adoption of new mobility technologies progresses, there is a possibility that the applications for the materials industry will expand.
5 | Toray and Teijin. What should investors look at?
Toray (3402) — Competitiveness of the carbon fiber business
Toray is one of the world’s leading carbon fiber manufacturers.
It operates businesses in areas such as aerospace, industrial applications, and sports.
What should be noted is not simply whether the sales volume of carbon fiber increases.
It is how much high-value-added products, such as those for aircraft, will grow.
Whether it can generate sufficient profit against capital investment.
And whether the expansion of demand will lead to an improvement in profit margins.
Even if future mobility demand grows, if large investments are required to increase production capacity, profits may not necessarily increase immediately.
I want to continuously check three points: demand, price, and facility utilization rate.
Teijin (3401) — Room for re-evaluation from a low PBR
On the other hand, Teijin is also a company that handles carbon fiber and composite materials.
As of October 16, the PBR is approximately 0.78 times.
The price-to-book ratio is at a level below 1, and the market’s valuation is not necessarily high.
However, a stock cannot be judged as undervalued simply because its PBR is low.
What matters is whether it can utilize its assets to generate sufficient profits.
Profit improvement in the carbon fiber business, review of the business portfolio, and improvement of capital efficiency.
If these changes appear in actual financial results, it could lead to a re-evaluation of the stock price.
Conversely, if profitability does not improve even as demand expands, it is possible that the low valuation will continue.
Rather than buying Teijin solely because of this Roadster announcement, I want to observe the progress of business reform and earnings improvement.
6 | The real investment theme is not just ‘flying cars’
Looking at this announcement, there is one thing I found interesting.
That is the point that Tesla and SpaceX technologies are beginning to merge in actual product development.
Until now, the automotive industry and the space industry have often been discussed as separate markets.
However, there are common technical challenges in both fields.
Weight reduction, thermal management, energy efficiency, high-pressure systems, and high-strength materials.
Space development technology is applied to automobiles, and mass production technology from the automotive industry is deployed to other industries.
There is a possibility that such a cycle of technology will progress.
At that time, the targets investors should pay attention to are not necessarily just the finished vehicle manufacturers.
Material manufacturers, precision parts manufacturers, control equipment manufacturers, and manufacturing equipment manufacturers.
In the process of new products becoming widespread, many companies will be involved in the supply chain.
However, to identify companies that will actually earn profits, verification of customer contracts, competitive advantage, mass production capacity, and profitability is essential.
The companies that realize the future and the companies that profit from that future are not necessarily the same.
7 | Observation of TEN – 3 things I want to check next
Following this announcement, I would like to observe the following three points moving forward.
1. Will the Roadster be produced in 2028 as scheduled?
There is a significant gap between a technology demonstration and mass production. I want to confirm whether the production plan, regulatory compliance, and actual sales figures become clear.
2. Will technology derived from SpaceX be deployed to other Tesla products?
Whether this technology remains limited to a special sports car or spreads to other product developments will be an important point in considering its commercial value.
3. Will there be concrete changes in the performance of carbon fiber manufacturers?
How will orders, sales volumes, and operating profit margins change in the financial results of Toray and Teijin?
I want to determine whether expectations for material technology will lead to actual earnings.
Summary | The car flew. What investors should look at is profit.
With the new Roadster, Tesla showcased technology that shakes the conventional concept of automobiles.
On the other hand, the stock market did not buy up Tesla stock solely based on that technical surprise.
And in Japan, the stock prices of carbon fiber-related companies like Toray and Teijin were rising.
A direct causal relationship between the two cannot be confirmed.
Even so, this news serves as an opportunity to think about what kind of new demand will be created in industries during the process of realizing new technology.
Whether a future where flying cars become widespread will truly arrive is still unknown.
However, the direction in which automotive and aerospace technologies are merging is likely worth paying attention to in the future.
Rather than predicting the future, observe which companies will accumulate profits in the process of the future becoming reality.
Isn’t that one investment perspective that can be gained from this news?
Future Observatory TEN
We observe future technologies, companies, and the stock market while separating them into ‘facts’ and ‘hypotheses’.
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*This article is a market observation and analysis based on publicly available information and does not recommend the buying or selling of any specific stock. Stock prices and indicators are as of October 16, 2026.