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GM CEO Barra leans on price parity to take out Tesla in race to EV superiority
General Motors CEO Mary Barra has plans to catch Tesla by mid-decade, and she plans to lean on cheaper electric vehicles that are more comparable in price to gas cars to do it. Ultimately, Barra plans to be out-manufacturing and out-selling everyone, including Tesla, by the mid-2020s.
“We’re taking all the steps to do it,” Barra said on Yahoo! Finance earlier this week. “We have said that by mid-decade, we will be selling more EVs in this country than anyone else, including Tesla.”
A lofty goal in its own right, GM wants to outpace the world’s most successful electric vehicle company in the matter of a few years, outmaneuvering the Austin-based car manufacturer and its vocal CEO Elon Musk. More affordable cars are the key to the plan, which Barra solidified during the interview. You have to be able to offer people non-luxury cars and non-luxury prices, something Barra seems to believe Tesla is not able to do currently.
“Remember, we’re not necessarily just selling at the premium end,” perhaps stabbing at Tesla’s lineup, which has gone from sub-$40,000 to a shade below $47,000 for its most affordable Model 3 trim level. “We’re going to have electric vehicles affordable at $30,000.”
Tesla has upped prices on its electric vehicles for over a year with unpredictable-but-steady cost increases. Earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk blamed “inflation pressure” for the rises in price throughout Tesla’s lineup. Nevertheless, the company has not necessarily felt the effects of the inflation as demand continues to funnel in at healthy levels. Tesla reported its biggest quarter in Q1 with 310,048 vehicle deliveries. It also demolished Wall Street consensus estimates on its financial spreadsheet, beating EPS projections by nearly $1 and beating revenue estimates by nearly $1 billion. “Basically, the future is very exciting. I’ve never been more optimistic or excited about Tesla’s future than I am right now,” Musk said on the call.
While GM offers several affordable electric options, starting with the $31,500 Chevrolet Bolt EV and the $39,900 Chevrolet Silverado EV, which is expected to hit the market in Spring 2023, the automaker hits other sectors too. Its GMC Hummer EV offers high-powered luxury functionality, but GM has struggled with getting it to customers. It also has the Cadillac LYRIQ, another luxury vehicle that costs $58,795. These two vehicles are at premium price points, but that is not GM’s ultimate focus.
“We’ve really worked to listen and understand what the customer is looking for,” Barra said, which is perhaps one reason GM chose to partner with Honda on a series of EV models that could hit the market in 2027.
GM is fourth in the global EV market share with 7.6 percent. Tesla led 2021 with nearly 14 percent of the global EV market.
As for the race to EV superiority, Barra believes it is more of a marathon than a sprint, vowing to catch up to Musk and eventually pass him.
“I think it’s a little bit longer game.”
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Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.
The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.
Our Bay Area rideshare service now goes to SFO ✈️
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.
The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.
UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch
This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.
The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.
Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.
The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.
Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.
Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.
The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.
🚨 TESLA’S SUMMER UPDATE FOR 2026 IS HERE:
Featuring:
✅ Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
✅ Caraoke with Scoring
✅ Automatic Navigation
✅ Preferred Routes
✅ Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
✅ Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
✅ Rear Display Lock
✅ Other Improvements
🔌… https://t.co/C9IW3egEhH— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:
New Grok Voice Commands
“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”
Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”
Caraoke With Scoring
“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”
Automatic Navigation
“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.
In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”
Preferred Routes
“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”
Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”
Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
Rear Display Lock
“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”
Other Improvements
- Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
- Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
- Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
- Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
Tesla’s reason for Starlink integration on Cybercab might surprise you, as the company’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, finally shed some light on the reason they are putting a satellite internet terminal on its ride-hailing-geared vehicle.
On Monday, Tesla officially confirmed that it would integrate Starlink V5 terminals into Cybercab vehicles, something many Tesla fans had figured the company would do, as the vehicle is primarily geared toward giving rides without any passenger intervention.
Starlink V5 directly integrated in Cybercab pic.twitter.com/FxzTtzjB6I
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 20, 2026
The ability to access the internet would allow riders to work or play in the car with their devices. It seemed like a more-than-reasonable feature to add to the Cybercab, which made its way off the production lines for the first time earlier this year.
Tesla reveals first vehicle model to receive Starlink integration
However, the move is not for the rider, as Elluswamy confirmed on Monday night. Instead, it’s actually for Tesla to be able to have a constant connection to the cars in the Robotaxi fleet so it can troubleshoot issues, contact riders, or resolve other issues.
Elluswamy said:
“It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.”
It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) July 20, 2026
Many initially assumed the option of constant connectivity would be enabled on the Cybercab for passenger entertainment or work. With the Cybercab, passengers won’t be doing anything but enjoying the ride, so it seemed more than logical that they would be hanging out with Starlink internet access as an amenity.
However, Tesla’s primary concern with Robotaxi is safety, and nailing these first unsupervised rides is a crucial step to setting a good narrative on how effective driverless transportation can be.
Being able to get in touch with passengers or a vehicle if something is wrong is a crucial part of the overall experience, and preventative measures are being taken by Tesla to ensure a smooth process, even in the worst-case.
Tesla expands ridesharing service in California to new hotspot
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
