Tesla

U.K. group unveils ad targeting Elon Musk's Tesla vehicles in response to his fueling of far-right politics in the U.S. and Europe. #Swasticar #EveryoneHatesElon

Shares in the US electric carmaker dropped after European sales halved in January.

Road rage has been around for a while. A newer phenomenon that’s cropping up is EV charging rage — the feeling when a fellow EV owner cuts the line to grab one of the only working charge ports.

Archived

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[Tesla owner Elon Musk’s close involvement in the new U.S. administration could have a] potentially adverse side effect as China considers using Tesla as a pawn in trade negotiations.

Tesla car sales were flat in 2024, and to maintain its astronomic valuation, Musk has bet the automaker’s entire future on autonomy, both in the form of self-driving cars and humanoid robots, seeing them as a much more lucrative opportunity than the low-margin traditional business of selling cars. He now spends most of Tesla’s earnings calls talking up a future in which autonomous fleets of “Cybercabs” will roam the streets and replace human drivers. The company has slowly been rolling out its Full-Self Driving (FSD) tech through an optional add-on for current Tesla owners, with plans to begin testing a fully autonomous taxi service in Austin sometime this year.

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China is Tesla’s second biggest market, however, and the country has heretofore not allowed it to begin rolling out autonomous technology there. President Trump’s recent move to place 10% tariffs on goods exported from China has created an opportunity for the country to use the president’s confidant as leverage. From the Financial Times:

Chinese authorities are contemplating using the approval of Tesla’s autonomous-driving licence as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations with Trump, said two of the people with knowledge of the delay, adding that this was the main reason for the hold-up in granting the permit.

The approval could still come soon, depending on how trade negotiations developed, one of the people added. But another said that some people at the company believed a speedy consent was unlikely unless there was “a major breakthrough or concession” in trade talks.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/29657247

Tesla is victorious in almost every court case thanks to a justice system that acts as the long arm of the Chinese Communist Party.

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Tesla has sued more than a dozen journalists and even its own customers, weaponizing a legal system that operates as an extended arm of the Communist Party regime.

In every case where a ruling has ensued, Tesla won its lawsuit. One of the few open cases remains—related to Zhang Yazhou, more on that below—and that is only because she is appealing the verdict handed down against her.

Moreover, of the 81 civil judgements in which Tesla owners sued the company over safety and quality issues or contract disputes, only nine were victorious.

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[Tesla owner Elon] Musk can count on a powerful ally. China’s second-highest ranking official behind president Xi Jinping is none other than the man that helped Elon Musk build his massive Chinese vehicle factory: state premier and former Shanghai party boss Li Qiang.

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The anti-Tesla backlash continues to grow.

Tesla is being targeted by protests organized at its stores around the globe. The demonstrations planned for this Saturday appear...

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1935104

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/1935103

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Zhang Yazhou was sitting in the passenger seat of her Tesla Model 3 when she said she heard her father’s panicked voice: The brakes don’t work! Approaching a red light, her father swerved around two cars before plowing into an SUV and a sedan and crashing into a large concrete barrier.

Stunned, Zhang gazed at the deflating airbag in front of her. She could never have imagined what was to come: Tesla sued her for defamation for complaining publicly about the car’s brakes — and won. A Chinese court ordered Zhang to pay more than $23,000 in damages and publicly apologize to the $1.1 trillion company.

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Over the last four years, Tesla has sued at least six car owners in China who had sudden vehicle malfunctions, quality complaints or accidents they claimed were caused by mechanical failures.

The company has also sued at least six bloggers and two Chinese media outlets that wrote critically about the company, according to a review of public court documents and Chinese media reports by The Associated Press. Tesla won all eleven cases for which AP could determine the verdicts. Two judgments, including Zhang’s, are on appeal. One case was settled out of court.

It is not common practice for automakers — in China or elsewhere — to sue their customers. But Tesla has pioneered an aggressive legal strategy and leveraged the patronage of powerful leaders in China’s ruling Communist Party to silence critics, reap financial rewards and limit its accountability.

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cross-posted from: https://ponder.cat/post/1600422

Over the past couple of years, the seemingly steady rightward drift of Elon Musk has culminated in actions and statements that have sparked broad controversy. Musk – visionary CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and founder of X Corp – is a man on a mission to get humanity to Mars. He is also the wealthiest person on the planet.

It's just the latest reason to be skeptical of the car's safety record.

Tesla’s sales have dropped nearly 60% in January in Germany compared to the same period last year. The same thing...

Would you rather sell cars or robots?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday that his company will launch a paid ride-hailing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas this coming June, the latest in a long line of sky-high promises he has yet to meet about autonomy.

Tesla says more affordable models are coming.

“There is no justification for any reasonable Pole to continue purchasing Teslas,” says minister Sławomir Nitras.

Elon Musk’s company still imports large number of cars into Europe from its Shanghai factory

The new Model Y has about a $4,000 price premium.

​Security researchers hacked Tesla's Wall Connector electric vehicle charger twice on the second day of the Pwn2Own Automotive 2025 hacking contest.

A Delaware judge has approved a settlement that will see Tesla directors — including Chair Robyn Denholm, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, Kimbal Musk, and James Murdoch — return up to $919 million to the automaker, officially resolving allegations that they overpaid themselves, per Reuters.

Welcome back turn stalk, you were sorely missed.

Tesla is releasing OTA updates to fix the rearview camera.

The truck barely moved the needle for Tesla this year.

The vehicle was parked directly outside the hotel doors.