Hyundai is committing to fulfilling its electrification strategy, refusing to divest and putting effort toward other, potentially more in-demand powertrains as it continues to find its footing in the world of electric vehicles.
It is getting to the point where consumers are more prone to hybrid powertrains because they worry about the dependability, growth, and availability of the EV charging infrastructure.
This has put pressure on both pure and partial EV manufacturers. Companies that only build EVs, like Tesla, and companies that mix both, like Ford, are still working out ways to navigate this strange time in the EV story.
While some companies have chosen to put more focus on hybrids due to consumer demand, which is not totally far-fetched considering they need to cater to what customers want, others are drawing a line in the sand and sticking with a more aggressive EV sales strategy.
Hyundai is one of these companies.
In a recent interview with The Verge, Randy Parker, Hyundai Motor America’s CEO, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to electric vehicles as it narrows in on its long-term strategy for the transition to electrification.
Doubling Down
Parker is committed to making Hyundai a driving force in the EV sector. With robust competition from industry leaders like Tesla setting the pace, there are many other companies fighting to claim what is likely second place. Pure EV makers like Rivian and Lucid are still attempting to bolster their business by working toward profitability.
Meanwhile, large automakers that have been producing gas-powered cars for decades are keeping their EV businesses afloat by using profits from ICE sales to keep electrification efforts going. They’re even revising investment strategies and pulling back EV efforts in favor of hybrids.
Hyundai is not one of those companies, Parker said:
“While other manufacturers are pulling back on their electrification strategy, we continue to be focused on our products. And our products have done extremely well in the marketplace.”
Of course, companies have to shift strategies because of how their balance sheets look. Parker said that the U.S. market is encouraging and that Hyundai is “doing okay in the United States.”
The Priority is Affordability
Along with making highly competitive electric vehicles, they need to be at a price point where consumers can justify the purchase.
Hyundai is going a step further by ensuring that the ownership experience and driving an EV are also affordable.
Parker said the company’s priority is keeping the EV driving experience affordable.
“We’re trying to make driving an EV affordable, but at the same time removing some of those objections when it comes to range and charging.”
Additionally, some concerns have been raised by those who adopted Tesla’s NACS last year and are due to gain access to the widespread Supercharger Network this year. After Tesla offloaded some of its Supercharger team as a part of its layoff strategy, CEO Elon Musk said the automaker would focus on keeping uptime as high as possible and would work to expand already-built locations.
None of this has Parker concerned. He said Hyundai still plans to work with Tesla on using its Supercharger Network, and he has no reason to believe any other way:
“I haven’t been given any reason to doubt our strategy moving forward.”
Hyundai already has a strong business that ranked third in the world behind only Toyota and Volkswagen. Hedging that strength into its EV side is all it needs to do, and it’s on the right path, considering it is going all-in on EVs.
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News
The Boring Company’s self-driving Teslas impress riders with smooth, hands-free rides
The electric vehicles, which currently shuttle visitors between key destinations on the Strip, could soon extend service all the way to the airport.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system is making waves underground. Passengers who recently rode in The Boring Company’s Las Vegas Loop described the experience as “way smoother than a human driving,” with no manual input from a driver at all.
The electric vehicles, which currently shuttle visitors between key destinations on the Strip, could soon extend service all the way to the airport.
Controlled FSD testing
In late August, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill stated that Tesla’s FSD-equipped vehicles have been undergoing testing in the Boring Company tunnels for several months. These tests are conducted under strict supervision and have not involved regular passengers until recently.
Recent comments about the Boring Company’s driverless Teslas were shared on X by @alifarhat6_ali, who was able to try out the service for himself. As per the Tesla enthusiast, FSD drives much smoother than human drivers inside the Boring Company Las Vegas tunnels. The safety monitor also reportedly noted that the service should soon expand to the airport.
“I rode in the new self driving Tesla in the Las Vegas Loop! It was WAY smoother than a human driving in the Loop. Zero human input. It wasn’t busy so he let us ride back as well. Driver said they soon will be giving rides all the way to the airport. We are in the future,” the X user wrote in a post.
Elon Musk hints at fully driverless Teslas
Earlier this month, Elon Musk posted on X that “The Tesla cars operating in The Boring Company tunnels under Las Vegas will be driverless in a month or two.” This suggests that the Boring Company tunnels in Las Vegas may end up being one of the first locations where actual driverless Teslas will be serving regular customers.
In a way, the deployment of fully driverless Teslas could be perfect for the Las Vegas tunnels. The underground environment should be ideal for Tesla’s autonomous software as it offers predictable routes and traffic, minimal external hazards, and stable lighting conditions that benefit sensor performance.
Tesla’s $1 trillion pay package, which it proposed to Shareholders to vote on November 6 for its CEO Elon Musk has drawn a lot of attention lately.
Among those vocalizing their thoughts and feelings about the incentive program are proxy firms, investment analysts, and retail shareholders.
However, one analyst that always seems to draw some attention, especially when it comes to things related to Tesla and Musk, is Mad Money host Jim Cramer, who routinely puts his opinions out into the public realm when it comes to the company and its CEO.
Last week, Cramer gave a short breakdown of what he thinks the company and its shareholders should do on the social media platform X. He’s gone deeper into the pay package conversation with a candid synopsis of where he stands with it.
Cramer is no slouch when it comes to breaking down companies and what their strengths and weaknesses are.
He recognizes Musk and his contributions to Tesla, especially in terms of its prowess as an automaker, an AI play, and a robotics entity. In his more lengthy breakdown of the mentality behind rewarding Musk, he writes:
“Then there’s Musk. He’s using AI to make the best full self-driving car. He’s using it to dominate the Robotaxi game, or at least try. There’s no doubt that he’s got the best self-driving alternative on a price basis…Musk has put AI to the test, and he recognized that if you could develop better and bigger, and stronger batteries, that might be the answer for our energy-starved country…”
This is essentially an echo of what he said last week, which included some of the same ideas. Musk is ultimately the right man for the job, Cramer believes, especially considering the analyst calls him one of the few CEOs who is “actually worth it,” in terms of his potentially massive payday:
“Hate him or like him, man, this guy’s real smart…I think that Musk, who says he needs to be in control so the robots don’t take over, clearly wishes he had two classes of stock so he could be like Mark Zuckerberg, who can do whatever he wants with Meta. I say, even though he didn’t start the company and therefore doesn’t have the two classes, give the man the pay package he wants. Unlike so many other CEOs, he’s actually worth it.”
Tesla shareholders will vote on the package on November 6, but a handful of proxy firms have already noted that they will be going against it. Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis both voted not to offer Musk this pay package.
Musk called them “corporate terrorists” last week during the company’s Q3 Earnings Call.
News
Tesla makes a massive change to a Service policy that owners will love
If you have a subscription to Full Self-Driving or Premium Connectivity for 30 days, the date of its expiration is 30 days after you activate the subscription, even if the vehicle was in service.
Tesla has decided to update its policy on Subscriptions and Service, and owners are going to love it.
If you have a subscription to Full Self-Driving or Premium Connectivity for 30 days, the date of its expiration is 30 days after you activate the subscription, even if the vehicle was in service.
So, if your car was with Tesla Service for five days, you essentially lost those five days, as your expiration date was not adjusted to reflect the time the vehicle was unusable.
Loaners that Tesla gives owners are usually equipped with perks like Full Self-Driving and Premium Connectivity, so your subscription does not roll over to another vehicle.
However, Tesla has decided to revise that policy in an effort to give owners full access to the subscriptions they paid for. It requires Service visits to be longer than one day.
In a communication to an owner who was having their vehicle serviced, Tesla said:
“A loaner vehicle may be available during your appointment (pending availability) – please check the app closer to your appointment for the latest updates and access details. If your repair requires more than one business day, any active subscriptions or free trials will be extended accordingly.”
Tesla will now extend active subscriptions and free trials if your car was in service for more than 1 business day pic.twitter.com/HdtDEwk3e6
— Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) October 20, 2025
The move is a good one from a customer service standpoint, especially considering the loss of even a few days of a 30-day subscription to something like Full Self-Driving, which costs $99 per month, can be frustrating.
Tesla’s choice to extend the subscription duration for the length of the service visit is a good-faith move that customers will appreciate.
While this adjustment is not directly related to Service, many customers will relate it to that. It’s yet another move Tesla has made in 2025 to make its Service experience better for customers.
It is also offering more options to communicate with Service advisors during and after cars are repaired, which can help streamline the entire visit from start to finish.
The Boring Company’s self-driving Teslas impress riders with smooth, hands-free rides
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1T pay package gets candid synopsis from Jim Cramer
Tesla makes a massive change to a Service policy that owners will love
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