The Audi Chief of Europe has stated the brand will not follow Tesla in introducing a price cut on its electric vehicles.
Audi, much like many other premium German brands, has faced dramatically increased competition following the entrance of Tesla into its luxury-high-performance market. And while Audi’s Chief of Europe has stated that the company will not follow its new rival in introducing an EV price cut, some worry that it is losing its competitive edge.
“We have our very own pricing policy,” Jens Puttfarcken told Automobilwoche. “We take such a step when it is necessary for the Audi brand.” But looking at Audi’s pricing of its vehicles currently, it may be forced to alter pricing now more than ever.
In Europe, Audi sells three fully electric models, each with numerous variants and body styles, but the base prices give the best indication of Audi’s pricing strategy. The lineup starts with the most affordable Audi EV, the Q4 e-tron starting at 51,900 euros ($54,975), then progresses to the much larger Q8 e-tron beginning at 74,400 euros ($78,808), and culminates with the e-tron GT starting at an eyewatering 104,000 euros ($110,163).
In comparison, while the Tesla Model S and Model X are certainly priced above the Audi e-tron GT and Q8 e-tron, respectively, the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y dramatically undercut Audi’s Q4 offering, both of which start below the 50,000 euro mark. Both Teslas outclass the Q4 e-tron in range, 285 miles for the base Model Y compared to 265 miles for the base Q4 e-tron, and performance, with the base Model Y producing 271 horsepower while the base Q4 e-tron produces 201.
As a result of this price and performance gap, Tesla, and traditional Audi competitors, such as Mercedes and BMW, have begun to separate from Audi in terms of sales volumes. In the best showing of this, the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 have continually traded off as being the most popular vehicle in Germany, stealing the crown from the regional favorite, the Volkswagen Golf. Meanwhile, Audi’s Q4 e-tron mass offering has yet to achieve the same sales success.
As the EV market, particularly in Europe, has grown in popularity and competitiveness, Audi is finally feeling the results of its higher-priced vehicles compared to the market. And while the Audi chief may resist the pressure to cut prices currently, it remains unclear if that will result in any positive growth in sales for the company.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
Elon Musk
Pope Leo XIV slams Elon Musk’s pay package due to misinformation (Opinion)
The Pope’s comments seem to be guided by a misunderstanding of what Elon Musk’s pay package entails.

Pope Leo XIV has voiced sharp criticism of corporate pay structures, singling out Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other business leaders as examples of the widening gap between executives and ordinary workers. The pontiff warned that excessive wealth concentration could erode societal values and fuel global polarization.
Pope Leo XIV’s comments seem to be guided by a misunderstanding of what Elon Musk’s pay package entails, and the net positive it would result to TSLA shareholders and the world as a whole.
Pope Leo XIV’s comments
In his first interview since becoming pope in May, Leo XIV, the first US-born head of the Catholic Church, pointed to reports that Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire. As noted in a report from the Financial Times, Pope Leo XIV singled out Elon Musk as an example of the type of wealth that was undermining “the value of human life, of the family, of the value of society.”
“Yesterday, the news (arrived) that Elon Musk is going to be the first trillionaire in the world. What does that mean, and what’s that about? If that is the only thing that has any value any more, then we are in big trouble,” the pontiff stated.
Musk was not the only executive who caught the ire of the leader of the Catholic Church. He noted that while Musk’s pay was problematic, it was only an example of the “continuously wider gap between the income levels of the working class and the money that the wealthiest receive.”
“CEOs that 60 years ago might have been making four to six times what the workers are receiving, the last figure I saw, it’s 600 times what average workers are receiving,” he stated.
Borne out of misrepresentation
A look at Pope Leo XIV’s comments surrounding Elon Musk’s wealth suggests that he may not necessarily be familiar with how the CEO earns his net worth. Musk’s wealth is tied to his stakes in his companies, with a good portion of it coming from Tesla and SpaceX. Thus, quite unlike what the mainstream media narrative might suggest, Elon Musk does not necessarily have a giant vault of gold coins he is hoarding somewhere.
If one were to look at Elon Musk’s pay package, which would result in him becoming a trillionaire, one would see that the CEO could only earn his keep if he proves immense value to Tesla and its shareholders.
His payout might be notable, but he would have to lead Tesla into becoming an $8.5 trillion company first. At this level, Tesla would likely be a notable force of good that would provide a net benefit for people worldwide. Ultimately, it appears that Pope Leo XIV’s comments about Musk may be borne from information gathered only through mainstream sources, some of which tend to have a notable slant against the CEO.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk affirms Tesla commitment and grueling work schedule: “Daddy is very much home”
The remarks came as Tesla shares crossed the $400 mark on the stock market.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reiterated his commitment to the electric vehicle maker and its future projects this week, responding to speculation following his $1 billion purchase of TSLA stock.
The remarks came as Tesla shares crossed the $400 mark on the stock market, extending a rally fueled in part by Musk’s TSLA purchase.
Elon Musk’s nonstop work schedule
Amidst the reaction of TSLA stock to Musk’s $1 billion investment, Tesla owners such as @greggertruck noted that “Daddy’s home.” Musk replied, stating that “Daddy is very much home.” He then shared details of a packed weekend of work, which was definitely grueling but completely within character for a “wartime CEO.”
Musk did note, however, that he had lunch with his kids during the weekend despite his extremely busy schedule.
“Daddy is very much home. Am burning the midnight oil with Optimus engineering on Friday night, then redeye overnight to Austin arriving 5am, wake up to have lunch with my kids and then spend all Saturday afternoon in deep technical reviews for the Tesla AI5 chip design.
“Fly to Colossus II on Monday to walk the whole datacenter floor, review transformers and power production (excellent progress), depart midnight. Then up to 12 hours of back-to-back meetings across all Tesla departments, but with a particular focus on AI/Autopilot, Optimus production plans, and vehicle production/delivery,” Musk wrote in his post.
Wartime CEO
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives described Musk as operating in “wartime CEO mode,” highlighting autonomous driving and AI as a trillion-dollar market opportunity for Tesla. Musk reiterated this point late last month as well, when he outlined the several projects he is juggling among his numerous companies. At the time, Musk stated that he was busy with Starship 10, Grok 5, and Tesla V14. This was despite his notable presence on X.
With Tesla Master Plan Part IV being partly released, the company is entering what could very well be its most ambitious stage to date. To usher in an era of sustainable abundance, Tesla would definitely require a “wartime CEO,” someone who could remain locked in and determined to push through any obstacles to ensure that the company achieves its goals.
News
Elon Musk confirms cryptic X post was related to SpaceX, not TSLA stock
Musk shared his update in a post on social media platform X.

Elon Musk has confirmed that a cryptic post he shared earlier this month was related to his private sale enterprise, SpaceX, not electric vehicle maker Tesla.
Musk shared his update in a post on social media platform X.
Musk’s cryptic post
Earlier this month, the CEO posted the cryptic words “You’ll Thank Me Later” on X. The post quickly gained attention on social media, as Tesla watchers and Elon Musk fans speculated on what the words could mean. With the announcement that Musk has purchased $1 billion of TSLA stock in the open market, some speculated that the cryptic post was a teaser of sorts to shareholders.
Musk’s massive TSLA purchase was the biggest in history, and it also stood as a notable vote of confidence for the company as it attempts to enter a new era led by robots, AI, and autonomous driving. This was likely one of the reasons why Tesla stock saw a notable rise on Monday’s trading. In another post, however, Musk confirmed that his cryptic post was not in any way related to his stock purchase.
All SpaceX
Considering that all the words in Musk’s post started with an uppercase letter, some space fans immediately speculated that the CEO was teasing something related to SpaceX. The company’s three drone ships, Just Read the Instructions (JRTI), Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY), and A Shortfall of Gravitas (ASOG), after all, follow similar naming styles.
This was one of the reasons why some TSLA shareholders noted on X that Musk’s post was likely SpaceX-related. In response to one of these comments, Musk stated that these speculations are “Correct.”
The only question now is what exactly Musk was referring to in his post. Perhaps the CEO really was hinting at the name of the drone ship that will be tasked to retrieve Starship in the middle of the ocean.
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