Tesla now worth more than Ford

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Tesla is now worth more than Ford on the stock market.  Tesla shares were up 7% at the end of trading (3 April 2017), valuing Tesla at $49 billion.
Ford is valued at $46 billion.
Tesla’s value has risen with news that it delivered more than 25,000 cars in the first quarter, a 70% rise on the same quarter last year. However, Ford sold 6.7 million cars and other vehicles last year, compared to 75,000 vehicles for Tesla. The difference in size and value is intriguing.
Excited investors
According to Ben Kallo, a technology analyst at Robert W. Baird, Tesla is able to attract talented staff and investors. "Five years ago no one knew what a Tesla was. Now people want a Tesla. It has usurped BMW as an aspirational car," he said.
Ellon Musk, the founder of Tesla, hopes the company can cut the cost of batteries by up to 30%.  His company is building a giant new plant in Nevada, costing $5 billion dollars. The company is also planning to sell a cheaper car in the US, the Model 3, aimed at the mass market.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39485200
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tesla-gm-ford-1.4054630

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Questions
 
Which company is bigger, Tesla or Ford?
How can you measure the value of a company?
According to the article, why are Tesla shares so high?

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Vocabulary
 
 to usurp – to take someone’s place
 intriguing – very interesting
 to value (something) – to decide what something is worth / should cost
 the mass market – available to everyone (not too expensive)
aspirational – something people want to own or enjoy

Can you use these words in sentences to describe your business, or your competitors?

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Structure

Tesla shares were up 7% at the end of trading (3 April 2017), valuing Tesla at $49 billion.
… the Model 3, aimed at the mass market.
Why do the marked words use the ‘ing’ and ‘ed’ endings?
These are participle clauses and they are used to describe something or add more detail.