TorqueNews Hot Topics (Page 13)

According to data released by China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), in the month of February, the Model Y has become the best-selling SUV in China. And even more impressively, the Model Y was able to beat not only battery-electric vehicles but also internal-combustion vehicles with a significantly lower starting price.

Elon Musk has received a $1.7 million award from Tesla as part of a company-wide patent incentive program. Tesla awarded this prize to Musk in a form of an option to buy 10,500 Tesla shares at an average price of $4.73.

Tesla, in the last 2 months has announced it will be building 2 new factories - one adjacent to Giga Nevada, and another in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. However, despite the already aggressive expansion plans, an Indonesian official has confirmed talks to build an EV plant are ongoing and that Giga Mexico doesn't change Tesla's plant to build a factory in Asia.

Although by now it might seem that Tesla is issuing a recall for its vehicles every other week, most recalls are benign software issues addressed by an over-the-air software update. However, today, Tesla has issued a rare physical recall for improperly torqued bolts fastening the second-row seat back of the Model Y.

Tesla China has just posted a record delivery number for the month of February producing and selling 74,402 vehicles. This number is even more impressive when we take into account that Tesla has shut down the Giga Shanghai Model 3 production line for half of the month.

Don't head out on the trails without these interior upgrades designed just for the Wrangler and heavy weather!

A Toyota executive who took part in the Model Y teardown spoke with Automotive News in conditions of anonymity and said about the all-electric crossover “taking the skin off the Model Y, it was truly a work of art. It’s unbelievable.”

Tesla officially inaugurated Giga Berlin only 11 months ago. However, today, the EV maker has announced that the plant has reached a Model Y production rate of 4000 vehicles a week. This gives Giga Berlin an annualized production rate of 200,000 vehicles per year.

In response to a tweet by Whole Mars Catalog, who wrote “I can’t wait to see people’s stunned reactions as Cybertruck climbs the sales charts,” Musk responded by tempering expectations saying “ramping production will be the challenge, not demand.”

In a new Tesla patent application, we get our first details regarding Cybertruck’s exoskeleton. In the patent application, Tesla details the superior anticorrosive and strength properties of the 30X cold-rolled stainless steel alloy the Cybertruck will be built out of.

With the incredible rise in Tesla’s stock price, short sellers betting against the EV maker have already lost $7.2 billion since the start of the year.

Current Tesla Model S or Model X owners with active unlimited free Supercharging are now eligible for an additional $5,000 toward their trade-in value.

According to Brandenburg Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach, who today gave a speech to the state parliament, Tesla has made the Giga Berlin 4680 battery plant operational. Tesla was able to go from ground preparation work for the factory to 4680 cell production in less than a year.

Last month, Tesla cut the prices of all its vehicles in the US. This has spurred incredible demand for Tesla vehicles, especially the Model Y which saw its prices cut by 20%. Today, however, in an attempt to curb demand for the Model Y, Tesla has once again increased the price of the all-electric crossover.

After years of lagging behind, Elon Musk has finally promised to release a significant autopilot upgrade to Tesla owners in the EU. Musk also added 90% of work done on FSD Beta in the US and Canada applies Worldwide, and that after FSD Beta V11 is released in North America, it will be adapted for EU roads and submitted to regulators for approval.

Tesla famously doesn't do paid advertisements or endorsements. However, as Tesla's brand power grows, increasingly companies are putting more effort to be associated with the EV maker. And one new example is a Popeyes ad featuring a Tesla Model Y currently scheduled to run on the super bowel.

Long-time Tesla supporter, investor, and financial advisor, Ross Gerbe, who began a bid to be included in Tesla's Board of Directors back in December when Tesla's stock price was at its lowest says, he hasn't changed his mind. Gerber mentions problems with Tesla’s public relations, customer service, and succession plan as the main issues he would like to improve.

Today, Tesla has once again been forced to halt construction at Giga Berlin due to bureaucratic red tape. And Elon Musk has responded to show his frustration with the German authorities.

Last month, Tesla cut the prices of all its vehicles in the US. This has spurred incredible demand for Tesla vehicles, especially the Model Y which saw its prices cut by 20%. Today, we see the full effect of the price adjustments as inventory numbers for the Model Y has fallen to 7 vehicles in the entire US. This number is down by 99.5% since January 12.

Tesla FSD Beta v11 is expected to bring vector spaces and use of all 8 cameras to highway driving. In addition, V11 is also expected to replace manually written codes with neural nets for highway driving. Musk says these major architectural changes are the reason for the software's multiple delays. However, he hopes Tesla can finally release V11 by end of this week.

For months now there have been speculations that Tesla is working on a refresh to the Model 3 and has codenamed the project "Highland." However, today, although subtle, we have received our first confirmation regarding project Highland from Elon Musk.

Tesla China has just posted a record delivery number for the month of January producing and selling 66,051 vehicles. This number is even more impressive when we take into account that Giga Shanghai was closed in the last 8 days of January for the Chinese Lunar new year.

Yesterday, Elon Musk announced that he just reviewed the production beta Cybertruck and added to the hype of the vehicle by saying "it's incredible." And today, a new Cybertruck prototype has been spotted testing close to Tesla's design studio with two never before seen changes.

According to reports, Tesla is close to signing a deal to open a manufacturing facility in Indonesia. The country has the highest nickel deposit in the world and Tesla's decision appears to be necessitated by Indonasia's ban on raw nickel exports, and the EV maker's decision to enter into nickel mining.

Last week in a surprise move Tesla announced a $3.6 billion expansion to Giga Nevada. And, today, Musk has once again highlighted Giga Nevada's scale by pointing out that the plant is already the "biggest battery cell, pack & electric motor factory in Americas." and that "over time, Tesla expects Giga Nevada to be almost entirely solar-powered."

Today we have received a conflicting rumor suggesting Tesla is eyeing Mexico City rather than Nuevo Leon for the EV maker's Mexico plant. Although citing high-ranking Mexican officials, the new report still contains some far-fetched claims suggesting Tesla chose the site in order to utilize a new airport to export vehicles using planes.

According to a new list of best-selling vehicles in the world for 2022, Model Y, less than 3 years since starting deliveries, has already become the best-selling vehicle in the world by revenue and 4th overall best-selling vehicle by units sold.

Last month we received reports suggesting Tesla has chosen Mexico as the site for the company's next Gigafactory and that the EV maker is only days away from making the announcement. However, today in a statement made to Nikkei Asia, Emmanuel Loo, the deputy secretary of economic development for Nuevo Leon confirmed that a deal hasn't been reached.

Consumer Reports, in its latest test of Active Driver Assist software by 12 manufacturers ranked Tesla number 7 writing “Tesla autopilot falls to midpack as other high-tech systems improve.” Consumer Reports adds saying "that’s because Tesla hasn’t changed Autopilot’s basic functionality much since it first came out."

Following the recent price cuts in Germany, which reduced the Model 3s starting price by 6000 euros and the Model Y's starting price by 9,100 euros, the company's best-selling vehicles now qualify for an EV incentive in the country. According to Tesla, now both the Model 3 & Y qualify for the full €6,750 EV Incentive.