Ford Motor Co. is reinventing one of its marquee models — the Mustang muscle car — as a battery-powered crossover to become a player in the electric-vehicle market that is expected to take off in the coming decade.

First there was derision. Then mockery turned into admiration. Now a battle is unfolding between the most revered names in the automobile world, Porsche and Tesla Inc., on one of the world’s most challenging racetracks.

Tesla Inc.’s recent progress in a few key initiatives while showing increased efficiency in fulfilling its global order book — all in a relatively quiet manner — is music to the ears of one analyst.

DETROIT — A Tesla Model 3 involved in a fatal crash with a semitrailer in Florida on March 1 was operating on the company’s semi-autonomous Autopilot system, federal investigators have determined.

Tesla Inc. reduced the amount of hours it is producing Model S sedans and Model X crossovers, adding to concerns about demand for the electric-car maker’s higher-priced and more profitable vehicles. Shares dropped on the news.

Tesla Inc. added Larry Ellison and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson to its board, fulfilling the terms of the settlement reached with U.S. securities regulators over its CEO’s problematic posts about taking the company private.

It was only a few months ago that Wall Street was bashing Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. Times have changed for the automaker and its mercurial CEO.

Nomura Instinet analyst Romit Shah downgraded Tesla to neutral from buy in a note titled “No Longer Investable.” The note to clients starts by pointing out that previously he’s been one of the biggest bulls on the Street since initiating coverage last October.

Tesla has let more than a few investors down of late, and one part of the company hasn’t quite lived up to expectations at Morgan Stanley either.