January 30, 2025 at 1:56 AM (Reuters) -Tesla shares rose about 3% before the bell on Thursday as plans to roll out cheaper electric vehicles and paid autonomous car services by the automaker that missed Wall expectations for fourth quarter lifted investor sentiment. With annual deliveries dropping for the first time last year, pressure has been mounting for the EV maker to unveil lower-priced models along with autonomous vehicles and software, that CEO Elon Musk said would boost future earnings. Rivals such as China's BYD as well as European manufacturers BMW and Volkswagen have also launched cheaper models to capture market share. "The takeaway is – who cares about estimates when Tesla is providing you supercharged narrative command," Barclays analysts said. Tesla's market value has jumped with the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of CEO Elon Musk. Investors are betting the new administration will ease regulation on self-driving vehicle systems that Tesla is developing. "Tesla investors are fuelled by optimism around Full Self-Driving and the upcoming affordable model - two key catalysts that could drive Tesla's next leg of growth," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. Tesla's highly profitable advanced driver assistance software, known as full self-driving, or FSD, will see unsupervised tests in other states including California, this year, Musk said, but did not give new details on either his affordable vehicle plans or paid autonomous car services. "Self-driving remains central to justifying Tesla's lofty valuation, with the long-term bet resting on software-driven profits and autonomy," Britzman said. Musk had said late last year he expected vehicle sales to grow 20% to 30% in 2025, a forecast Tesla did not reiterate in its results. Some analysts pointed that to be a disappointment. "Tesla's 4Q results are emblematic of a company in the transition from an automotive 'pure play' to a highly diversified play on AI and robotics," Morgan Stanley said. Tesla has a 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio of about 118.39, compared with Ford's 6.07, and GM's 4.48. (Reporting by Siddarth S in Bengaluru and Danilo Masoni in London; Editing by Amanda Cooper and Arun Koyyur) Show comments Associated Press Brunson has 30 points and 15 assists as Knicks beat slumping Nuggets 122-112 for 5th …