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Berlin Senator calls Tesla “Nazi” cars, pisses off Brandenburg because Giga Berlin is a giant employer
Kiziltepe’s comment garnered so much negative attention that she ended up deleting her post.
It is no secret that Elon Musk is a lightning rod for controversy today, especially with his work with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But as could be seen in Germany’s reactions to a Berlin Senator’s post on X, you can criticize the man, but you do not go for the thousands of people that Tesla employs.
Strike Against Tesla
As noted in an rbb24 report, Berlin’s Labor Senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) ended up pissing off a lot of people, especially in Brandenburg, after she dubbed Teslas “Nazi” cars on social media platform X. In her post, Kiziltepe wrote, “Who wants to drive a Nazi car?” She also shared a news article that highlighted Tesla’s decline in Germany in the first quarter, titled “Electric Car Manufacturers Experience Sales Boom—Apart from Tesla.”
Kiziltepe’s Tesla comment garnered so much negative attention that she ended up deleting her post. She did, however, share a follow-up which explained that her sentiments against CEO Elon Musk do not extend to the thousands that Tesla employs, especially in Germany.
“Tesla is currently experiencing a sales slump because customers attribute the right-wing extremist positions of its shareholder Elon Musk, who holds around 13% of the company. I explicitly stand by my assessment of Elon Musk. Of course, this does not mean that I hold Musk’s employees or customers responsible for his political positions,” the senator wrote in her post on X.
Brandenburg Backlash
A lot of the anger that resulted from Kiziltepe’s post came from other officials, such as Brandenburg’s Minister of Economic Affairs and SPD party colleague Daniel Keller. The official’s sentiments are understandable considering that Tesla Gigafactory Berlin is the largest employer in the region, providing jobs to thousands of people in the area.
“Such a Nazi comparison hurts the people who work there and is completely inappropriate for a labor senator. I expect the labor senator to retract her historically unacceptable comparison and return objectively to the major economic and labor market policy challenges that Berlin and Brandenburg should tackle together.
“Everyone can have their own personal opinion about Elon Musk. But it’s important to me that we don’t forget the people behind the Tesla factory in Grünheide. 11,000 people from 150 nations work here – more than half of the employees live in Berlin… Brandenburg and Berlin benefit from this in terms of employment and value creation,” Keller noted, highlighting that Giga Berlin provides well-paying, permanent jobs.
Equally Pissed Off
In a comment to the BZ newspaper, Brandenburg’s Minister-President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) stated that Kiziltepe’s comments were out of place, because in addition to the numerous Berliners who work at Giga Berlin, people from about 150 nations also work at the plant. Berlin CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Stettner was more direct, stating that the Berlin Senator’s post was a “dangerous relativization of Nazi terror and thus also of the Holocaust.”
The Berlin-Brandenburg Business Association (UVB) shared their frustrations with the senator as well, with General Manager Alexander Schirp stating that Kiziltepe’s comments were unbecoming of someone who sits at the Berlin Senate. Schirp also stated that the comments were an affront to Tesla employees. “This will not increase the manufacturer’s chances of investing in the capital. Statements of this magnitude do not bode well for the election campaign,” Keller stated.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk teases massive new Tesla-xAI joint project known as ‘Digital Optimus’
It is the latest move by a Musk company to automate, streamline, and reduce the manual, monotonous, and tedious work currently performed by humans through AI and robotics development. Digital Optimus will be capable of processing and actioning the past five seconds of a real-time computer screen video and keyboard and mouse actions.
Elon Musk teased a massive new project, to be developed jointly by Tesla and xAI, called “Digital Optimus” or “Macrohard,” the first development under Tesla’s investment agreement with xAI.
Musk announced on X that Digital Optimus will “be capable of emulating the function of entire companies.”
Macrohard or Digital Optimus is a joint xAI-Tesla project, coming as part of Tesla’s investment agreement with xAI.
Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2026
It is the latest move by a Musk company to automate, streamline, and reduce the manual, monotonous, and tedious work currently performed by humans through AI and robotics development. Digital Optimus will be capable of processing and actioning the past five seconds of a real-time computer screen video and keyboard and mouse actions.
Essentially, it will be an AI version of a desk worker in many capacities, including accounting, HR tasks, and others.
Musk said:
“Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of real-time computer screen video and keyboard/mouse actions. Grok is like a much more advanced and sophisticated version of turn-by-turn navigation software. You can think of it as Digital Optimus AI being System 1 (instinctive part of the mind) and Grok being System 2. (thinking part of the mind).”
Its key applications would be used for enterprise automation, simulating entire companies, high-volume repetitive tasks, and potentially, future hybrid use with the Optimus robot, which would handle physical tasks, while Digital Optimus would handle the clerical work.
The creation of a digital AI suite like Digital Optimus would help companies save time and money, as well as become more efficient in their operations through massive scalability. However, there will undoubtedly be concerns from people who are skeptical of a fully-integrated AI workhorse like this one.
From an energy consumption perspective and just a general concern for the human workforce, these types of AI projects are polarizing in nature.
However, Digital Optimus would be a great digital counterpart to Tesla’s physical Optimus robot, as it would be a hyper-efficient addition to any company that is looking for more production for less cost.
Musk maintains that there is no other company on Earth that will be able to do this.
Elon Musk
Tesla China posts strong February wholesale growth at Gigafactory Shanghai
The update was shared by Tesla observers on social media platform X, citing monthly China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data.
Tesla China sold 58,599 vehicles wholesale in February, reflecting strong year-over-year growth. The figure includes both domestic deliveries in China and vehicles exported to international markets.
The update was shared by Tesla observers on social media platform X, citing monthly China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data.
Tesla’s February wholesale result represents a 91% increase year over year, compared with 30,688 vehicles in February 2025. Month over month, the result was down 15.2% from January, when Tesla China recorded 69,129 wholesale units.
The February total reflects combined sales of the Model 3 and Model Y produced at Gigafactory Shanghai. The facility produces the two vehicles for both domestic sales and exports.
Gigafactory Shanghai continues to serve as Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub, supplying vehicles to markets across Asia and Europe. Data compiled by Tesla watchers shows that 18,485 vehicles were sold domestically in China in January 2026, while exports accounted for 50,644 units during the same period.
Tesla has also been extending financing programs in China as it pushes to strengthen domestic demand. The company recently extended its seven-year ultra-low-interest and five-year interest-free financing programs through March 31, marking the second extension of the promotion this year.
The financing initiative was first introduced on January 6 as a strategy aimed at offsetting higher ownership costs ahead of China’s planned 5% NEV purchase tax in 2026. The promotion was originally scheduled to expire at the end of January before being extended to February and then again through the end of the first quarter.
Tesla’s efforts come amid growing competition in China’s EV market. According to data compiled by CNEV Post, Tesla’s 2025 retail sales in China reached 625,698 vehicles, representing a 4.78% year-over-year decline. Part of that decline was linked to the Model Y changeover to its updated variant in early 2025, which temporarily reduced deliveries during the transition period.
News
Tesla Model Y L spotted on transport trucks in Australia
One of the sightings was reported along Victoria Parade in Melbourne, and it showed multiple Model Y L vehicles on a transport carrier.
Tesla’s upcoming Model Y L has been spotted on transport trucks in Australia. Sightings of the six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y variant have been reported on social media platform X by members of the Australian Tesla community.
One of the sightings was reported along Victoria Parade in Melbourne, and it showed multiple Model Y L vehicles on a transport carrier.
The sighting follows earlier observations by Tesla enthusiasts in Sydney, where a covered vehicle believed to be a Model Y L was spotted at a Supercharger.
The Sydney sighting drew attention after observers noted that the vehicle’s tare weight appeared to match the ADR approval listing for the Model Y L, suggesting it could indeed be the extended wheelbase variant of the electric SUV.
Tesla has previously confirmed that the Model Y L will launch in Australia and New Zealand in 2026. The confirmation was reported by techAU following a media release from Tesla Australia and New Zealand.
The Model Y L expands the existing Model Y lineup with seating for six passengers. The vehicle features a longer body compared with the standard Model Y in order to accommodate a spacious second and third row.
Tesla has opted for a 2-2-2 seating configuration instead of a traditional seven-seat layout for the Model Y L. The design includes two individual seats in the middle row to provide easier access to the third row and additional passenger space.
Tesla Australia and New Zealand has also stated that the Model Y L will be covered under the company’s updated warranty structure beginning in 2026.
Tesla has not yet announced pricing or official range figures for the Model Y L in Australia.
Elon Musk teases massive new Tesla-xAI joint project known as ‘Digital Optimus’
Tesla China posts strong February wholesale growth at Gigafactory Shanghai
