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Tesla and Volkswagen: from fierce competitors to unlikely allies
Tesla and Volkswagen have established themselves as unlikely allies in the world of turning vehicles toward electrification. However, the two companies did not always see eye to eye, but the tides have certainly changed. Evidence of this comes just a day after Elon Musk took an unexpected stop in Western Germany to see Volkswagen Chairman Herbert Diess.
Years ago, Volkswagen and Tesla were sitting at opposite ends of the spectrum. One company was a well-established marvel of German automotive manufacturing, while the other was struggling to rally enough capital to keep its own production efforts moving forward.
However, 2020 has given the two companies and effective dose of the “Freaky Friday” treatment, where the former automaker is struggling to keep functioning EVs on the road. Meanwhile, the latter is surging forward the charge to electrification and maintains a healthy lead over other companies that are attempting to follow in their steps.
But from 2008 to 2015, Volkswagen was far from ever being considered a Tesla ally. The German automaker was violating the EPA’s Clean Air Act by knowingly placing cheat devices in their car’s emissions systems. The scandal, known as Dieselgate, set a semi-permanent mark in the minds of the environmentally-conscious.
Many swore never to consider repurchasing a Volkswagen vehicle, but the company has won some prominent figures in the EV community. Most notably, Elon Musk. But the relationship wasn’t always healthy.
Musk was critical of a conspiracy that a Volkswagen employee was criticizing Tesla through a fake name. According to numerous sources, Diess had the situation handled, but the drama between the two companies didn’t necessarily end there.
Dieselgate was still slightly in the head of Musk. The CEO mentioned that Tesla’s HEPA grade filter was needed while sitting in close traffic because toxic tailpipe emissions could affect the air quality of those who occupy vehicles that are around. “Good thing gas/diesel carmakers didn’t cheat on their emissions or we’d be in real trouble,” Musk joked, indirectly taking a jab at Volkswagen’s wrongdoing.
In close traffic, poisonous gas spewing from the car in front of you goes straight into your AC intake. Good thing gas/diesel carmakers didn’t cheat on their emissions or we’d be in real trouble 😅
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2019
However, Musk has recognized that Diess is an ally and is driving Volkswagen toward electrification. The Tesla CEO even said that Diess is “doing more than any big carmaker to go electric. For what it’s worth, he has my support.”
Musk and Diess then appeared on stage together at the Golden Steering Wheel Awards in Berlin last November, trading compliments and smiling from ear to ear with encouragement. The two had shown their business ventures had resulted in a healthy friendship, and Musk even announced that Tesla would be bringing a new facility to Berlin on the same evening.
In early September 2020, Musk flew to Germany to conduct business. His final stop on his quick tour of the country was to pay his friend Diess a brief visit, where Musk drove the ID.3 from Volkswagen and took a peek at the Model Y’s competition in the ID.4. With Giga Berlin moving along swiftly and Tesla intending to start manufacturing vehicles in July 2021, it would seem that Diess would want to keep a competitor at bay and not reveal his plans for an electric car. But he was more than willing to show Musk around. Why?
While company collaborations are rare in the automotive sector, a Tesla and Volkswagen one wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea. The two companies have executives that are more than willing to show their products to each other, and the two could also help each other in improving their businesses. Volkswagen has been building cars in Germany since 1937. Eighty-five years of market data could help Tesla make an enormous impact on the German market, and Volkswagen could undoubtedly share some hints if Tesla required them.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen has had a very public problem with its MEB infrastructure within the ID family of cars. Tesla, on the other hand, has established itself as the most prominent figure in terms of software and EV tech, and it could always lend a helping hand to Volkswagen, especially considering Musk is more than willing to help electrified fleets come to life. “Tesla is open to licensing software and supplying powertrains & batteries,” Musk said to Teslarati In July. “We’re just trying to accelerate sustainable energy, not crush competitors!
Whether the two companies decide to help, each other remains to be seen. But, the partnership will help both Tesla and Volkswagen out, and in the big picture, enable the acceleration to sustainable energy to occur faster.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2 rolled out late last week to Early Access Program (EAP) members, but its best feature is not what you think.
While Tesla has done a great job of refining the performance of the Full Self-Driving suite with the latest update, there are some other interesting additions, including one that many owners have requested for some time.
Upon the release of v14.2, many owners recognized the Blue Dot next to the Autopilot tab in Vehicle Settings, notifying them of a new feature. What was included as a new feature in the new update was a Full Self-Driving stats feature, which now will show you how many miles you’ve traveled in total, and how many of those miles were driven using FSD:
🚨 The coolest non-driving change of Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2 pic.twitter.com/HOJcFaV2Ny
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 21, 2025
The feature seems to be more of a bragging rights thing than anything, but it will also give drivers a good idea of how many miles they are using Full Self-Driving for. Those who use telematics-based insurance services will also be able to run experiments of their own, and could determine whether their premiums are impacted by the use of Full Self-Driving, and whether it is more advantageous to use over manual driving.
Tesla rolled out numerous other improvements with Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2, most notably, the company seems to have resolved previous complaints about brake stabbing and hesitation. This was a major complaint in v14.1, but Tesla has seemed to resolve it with this newest branch of the FSD suite.
There were also improvements in overall operation, and it was notably smoother than past versions. Speed Profiles are seemingly refined as well, as they seem much more fixed on how fast they will travel and how aggressive they will be with things like passing cars on freeways and lane changes.
In future updates, Tesla plans to add Parking Spot selection, along with overall operational improvements. However, CEO Elon Musk recently said that the next branch, Full Self-Driving v14.3, will be where the “final piece of the puzzle is placed.” Tesla believes it is close to solving autonomy, so v14.3 could be a major jump forward, but it remains to be seen.
Tesla has adjusted the functionality of a crucial climate feature as Winter weather has started to arrive throughout some parts of the United States. The new feature was highly requested by owners.
Tesla has a Cabin Overheat Protection feature that helps keep the temperature regulated if it reaches a certain threshold. Inversely, it can be used in cold weather as well, which will automatically warm the cabin if it sinks to a temperature that is too low for the owner’s comfort.
This is a great way to keep the cabin either warmed up just enough or cooled down just enough so that it never gets too hot or too cold. Extreme temperatures could damage certain parts of the vehicle or damage personal belongings that are kept inside the car.
Overheat protection is a great thing to have in hot climates like Arizona or Texas, especially with the Premium trims of the Model 3 and Model Y, which feature a glass roof.
Many owners appreciate the feature, but they argue that using it at home will utilize too much energy, especially during extreme temperatures. For a while, many Tesla fans have requested an option to disable this feature when the car is parked at home, which the company recently added, according to Not a Tesla App.
The feature is part of Software Version 2025.44.3, and the release notes state:
“You can now choose Exclude Home when Cabin Overheat Protection or No A/C is enabled.”
Tesla has been great at listening to what owners want with new features, and this is one that will reserve some charge and prevent unnecessary utilization of available power, especially as the car is parked at home. If owners want to condition the cabin or get the car ready for operation with a comfortable interior, they can utilize the Tesla app to adjust the climate.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed today on the social media platform X that legacy automakers, such as Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, do not want to license the company’s Full Self-Driving suite, at least not without a long list of their own terms.
“I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy,” Musk said on X. “When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless.”
I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy …
When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless. 🤷♂️
🦕 🦕
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2025
Musk made the remark in response to a note we wrote about earlier today from Melius Research, in which analyst Rob Wertheimer said, “Our point is not that Tesla is at risk, it’s that everybody else is,” in terms of autonomy and self-driving development.
Wertheimer believes there are hundreds of billions of dollars in value headed toward Tesla’s way because of its prowess with FSD.
A few years ago, Musk first remarked that Tesla was in early talks with one legacy automaker regarding licensing Full Self-Driving for its vehicles. Tesla never confirmed which company it was, but given Musk’s ongoing talks with Ford CEO Jim Farley at the time, it seemed the Detroit-based automaker was the likely suspect.
Tesla’s Elon Musk reiterates FSD licensing offer for other automakers
Ford has been perhaps the most aggressive legacy automaker in terms of its EV efforts, but it recently scaled back its electric offensive due to profitability issues and weak demand. It simply was not making enough vehicles, nor selling the volume needed to turn a profit.
Musk truly believes that many of the companies that turn their backs on FSD now will suffer in the future, especially considering the increased chance it could be a parallel to what has happened with EV efforts for many of these companies.
Unfortunately, they got started too late and are now playing catch-up with Tesla, XPeng, BYD, and the other dominating forces in EVs across the globe.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2’s best new feature is not what you think
Tesla adjusts crucial feature as winter weather arrives
