Lifestyle
Tesla Model S is the car of choice for Hollywood’s Rich and Famous
Celebrities are known for driving some of the rarest and expensive cars on Earth, and many of us dream of just seeing some of the vehicles that Hollywood’s most successful stars drive on a daily basis. However, it may come as a surprise that the car celebrities have purchased the most this year is in many of our driveways because the Tesla Model S was most popular among some of the world’s richest and most famous people.
New data from specialist insurance brand MoneyBeach, with the help of Celebity Cars Blog, has found the Top 10 most popular cars owned by celebrities this year, and the all-electric flagship sedan from Tesla takes the cake. Its all-electric, sustainable powertrain provides the best range rating of any EV on the market and performance specifications to match. Notably, actors and actresses have been seeking the Model S most often this year, the data suggests. Impressively, the Model S’s relatively affordable price tag was more desirable than some of the priciest and most luxurious brands on the market.
Even Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls Royce couldn’t find as many celebrity driveways as the Model S, perhaps proving that Tesla is sought after by all class designations, making it an automaker that is “for the people” rather than “for the rich and famous.”
Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have supported Tesla since the production of the 2008 Roadster. Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, two celebrities with very vocal opinions on the importance of adopting climate-saving techniques, have owned Teslas for many years. Ruffalo has even supported other EVs, like the BMW i3, in a statement that aligns with the climate-friendly opinions he has encouraged his fans to adopt. Jennifer Garner, who starred with Ruffalo in 13 Going on 30, also uses the sustainable, high-performance sedan for travel.
Leo DiCaprio and his Model S Performance
Meanwhile, Leo DiCaprio is arguably one of Hollywood’s most vocal proponents for climate activism, and a Model S also sits in the Wolf of Wall Street star’s driveway. Other stars who own the all-electric sedan include Will Smith, Simon Cowell, and Cameron Diaz. Even GMC Hummer spokesperson and NBA Superstar LeBron James had a Tesla tucked away in his Brentwood garage, but it appears to be a Model X.
The list of the Top 10 most popular cars among celebrities is as follows, MoneyBeach says:
1. Tesla Model S
2. Bentley Continental GT
3. Mercedes-Benz G55 (G-Wagon)
4. Rolls-Royce Phantom
5. Land Rover Range Rover Sport
6. Mercedes-Benz S-Class
7. Cadillac Escalade
8. Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
9. Porsche Panamera
10. Audi R8
As a brand, Tesla is not the most popular among celebrities, but it does sit in the Top 5 behind Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Bentley, and Porsche. But the important lesson here is that sustainability is winning.
MoneyBeach spokesperson Mike Rees says that the celebrity impact on consumers is what is most important to recognize from the data. Companies pay millions of dollars to have the world’s biggest names endorse their products, but Tesla doesn’t do that. Many of the automakers listed also do not, but celebrity thirst for the ridiculously expensive is being put to the side, and impact is coming to the forefront.
“Right from when we’re children, our ‘dream’ cars are inspired by celebrities and what they own, so it was really interesting to delve into the data and find out once and for all, what they’re driving the most,” Rees said. “It was also somewhat surprising to see that amongst all the performance cars and classic models, it was the Tesla Model S that came out on top. It seems that this elite class are helping to usher in a cleaner electric future, while some, of course, maintain their fondness of a Ferrari!”
Elon Musk
NASA’s first human outpost on the Moon starts now – SpaceX on deck
NASA named the rovers, landers, and vendors that will build America’s first Moon Base.
NASA has laid out its most detailed Moon Base plan to date, describing a permanent outpost near the Moon’s south pole that the agency intends to build over the coming decade as a direct stepping stone to Mars. “The Moon Base will be America’s and humanity’s first outpost on another celestial world,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said, adding that every mission crewed and uncrewed “will be a learning opportunity as we return to the lunar surface, build the infrastructure to stay, and master the skills required to live and operate in one of the most demanding and dangerous environments imaginable.”
The plan is structured in three phases involving both uncrewed and crewed missions to deliver equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure to the surface, with the first three moon base missions targeted to launch before the end of 2026.
Moon Base I, targeting fall 2026, will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to deliver scientific instruments to the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, the same region where Artemis astronauts will land. Moon Base II will send Astrobotic’s Griffin lander carrying more than 1,100 pounds of cargo including Astrolab’s FLIP rover to begin developing mobility systems on the surface. Moon Base III will carry the Lunar Vertex science mission on Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Trinity lander to study lunar swirls near the south pole, with ESA and Korean science payloads aboard.
On the rover side, NASA awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to build the first phase of Lunar Terrain Vehicles, with both rovers targeted for deployment to the lunar surface by 2028. Astrolab’s crewed rover weighs roughly 2,000 pounds and can reach over 6 mph. Lunar Outpost’s Pegasus rover can operate autonomously or via remote control at over 9 mph. Blue Origin separately received $188 million with an option worth $280.4 million to deliver cargo landers for rover transport.
NASA also confirmed that MoonFall, a mission deploying four survey drones to scout Artemis landing sites, has selected Firefly Aerospace to build the transport spacecraft, with a 2028 launch target.
SpaceX sits at the center of that commercial layer. SpaceX holds the NASA Human Landing System contract for the Starship-derived lander that will put astronauts on the surface under Artemis IV, currently targeting 2028. Before that can happen, SpaceX must demonstrate in-orbit propellant transfer at scale, a process requiring multiple Starship tanker launches to fuel a single mission. Water ice at the lunar south pole is central to the base’s long-term viability, as it can be converted into drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket fuel, directly reducing dependence on Earth resupply. That resource loop becomes far more practical if Starship can land and be refueled on or near the Moon itself.
Elon Musk has publicly stated that Starship V3, which recently completed its first flight, should be capable enough for initial Mars missions. The Moon Base plan announced Tuesday is the infrastructure layer that connects everything between those two ambitions, and SpaceX is the only American company currently contracted to build the rocket that gets humans to either destination.
Elon Musk
Tesla ditches India after years of broken promises
Tesla has ditched its plans to build a factory in India after years of failed negotiations.
Tesla’s long-running effort to establish a manufacturing presence in India is officially over. India’s Minister of Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy confirmed on May 19, 2026 that Tesla has informed authorities it will not proceed with a manufacturing facility in the country.
Tesla first signaled serious interest in India around 2021, when it began hiring local staff and lobbying the Indian government for lower import tariffs. The ask was straightforward: reduce duties enough for Tesla to test the market with imported vehicles before committing capital to a local factory. India’s position was equally firm, with an ask of Tesla to commit to manufacturing first, then receive tariff relief. Neither side moved, and the talks quietly collapsed.
Tesla to open first India experience center in Mumbai on July 15
India had offered a policy that would reduce import duties from 110% down to 15% on EVs priced above $35,000, provided companies committed at least $500 million toward local manufacturing investment within three years. Tesla declined to participate. The tariff standoff was only part of the problem. Analysts pointed to significant gaps in India’s local supply chain, inadequate industrial infrastructure, and a mismatch between Tesla’s premium pricing and the purchasing power of India’s automotive market as additional factors that made the investment difficult to justify.
First signs of an unraveling relationship came in April 2024, when Musk abruptly cancelled a planned trip to India where he was set to meet Prime Minister Modi and announce Tesla’s market entry. By July 2024, Fortune reported that Tesla executives had stopped contacting Indian government officials entirely. The government at that point understood Tesla had capital constraints and no plans to invest.
The more fundamental issue is that Tesla’s existing factories are currently operating at approximately 60% capacity, making a commitment to building new manufacturing capacity in a new market difficult to defend to investors. Tesla will continue selling imported Model Y vehicles through its existing showrooms in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, but local production is no longer part of the plan.
Elon Musk
Trump’s invite for Elon just reshuffled Tesla’s big Signature Delivery Event
Tesla rescheduled its final Model S farewell to May 20 after Musk joined Trump in China.
Tesla has rescheduled its Model S and Model X Signature Edition delivery event to Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after abruptly calling off the original May 12 celebration. The event will take place at Tesla’s factory at 45500 Fremont Boulevard in Fremont, California, the same location where the Model S first rolled off the line in 2012. Invitees received a follow-up email asking them to reconfirm attendance and download a new QR code ticket, with Tesla noting that all travel and accommodation expenses remain the buyer’s responsibility.
The reason behind the original cancellation came into focus the same day it was announced. President Trump invited Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, and executives from Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Citigroup, and Meta to join his trip to China this week for a summit with President Xi Jinping. The agenda covers trade, artificial intelligence, export controls, Taiwan, and the Iran war, following weeks of escalating friction between Washington and Beijing over AI technology, sanctions, and rare earth exports. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all.”
Tesla launches 200mph Model S “Gold” Signature in invite-only purchase
The vehicles at the center of all this are the last Model S and Model X units Tesla will ever build. Priced at $159,420 each, the 250 Model S and 100 Model X Signature Edition units come finished in Garnet Red with a one-year no-resale agreement, giving Tesla right of first refusal if the owner decides to sell. As Teslarati reported, the Model S defined Tesla’s early identity as a serious luxury automaker, and the Fremont factory line that built it is now being converted to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots.
Musk’s inclusion in the China delegation drew attention given his very public relationship with Trump, and the invitation signals the two have moved past and past grievances. Trump originally brought Musk on to lead the Department of Government Efficiency following his inauguration, and despite a sharp public dispute in mid-2025, the two have appeared together repeatedly in recent months. A seat on the China trip, the most diplomatically consequential visit of Trump’s current term, puts Musk back at the table on U.S. economic policy at a moment when Tesla’s China revenue remains one of the company’s most important financial pillars.
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