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GM moves to match Tesla and Ford with new EV production

Credit:GM Authority

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GM is reportedly considering expanding EV production to its existing Ramos Arizpe plant in northern Mexico.

General Motors (GM) and other major American automakers have long had a presence South of the United States. Even now, vehicles like the Chevy Trax, Jeep Compass, and the ever-popular Chevy Silverado are produced en masse across the border in Mexico. Now, the most prominent American auto group is also considering expanding its EV production to Mexico.

The Mexican Economic Ministry announced that GM would be expanding EV production to the country via a tweet showing leaders from both parties discussing it yesterday.

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The first tweet reads:

“The [Economic Minister], Raquel Buenrostro, met with General Motors. They reported that by 2024 their industrial complex in Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, will produce only electric vehicles. They announced the increase of 5,000 jobs, promoting the inclusion of gender in their workforce.”

The second tweet clarifies, saying:

“The increase in jobs has been generated during this six-year term in the San Luis Potosí and Ramos Arizpe plants, resulting in a total of 4,500.”

According to the tweet from the Mexican Ministry, the Ramos Arizpe plant will be shifting to 100% EV production this year and aims to begin full production sometime in 2024. This follows news that GM had been increasing its workforce in Mexico by roughly 4,500, according to a clarifying tweet from the Ministry.

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Mexico has become a hotspot for EV production over the past few years. Its location near the United States, cheaper labor, and its access to U.S. Federal EV incentives have made it a prime location for new EV production. This has attracted the likes of Ford and Tesla and is likely influencing brands like GM, Hyundai/Kia, and BMW, which already have significant production facilities in the country.

GM nor the Mexican Economic Ministry specified what vehicles the American auto giant would be producing at its revamped production facility, but it’s possible to make an educated prediction.

The Ramos Arizpe plant currently produces the Chevy Equinox and Chevy Blazer ICE vehicles. And coincidently, both of these vehicles will be available as electric models in the coming years. Hence, with the facility’s familiarity with the products and the production date of 2024 matching the introduction date of the two Chevy EV SUVs, it would not be surprising if they were produced at the revamped facility.

GM has not specified if existing ICE vehicle production lines would be halted. Still, with its recent hiring, one would anticipate that it is opening a new production line for strictly EVs.

It is no surprise that the General chose the Ramos Arizpe plant to produce EVs. Mear miles from Monterey, it is within a stone’s throw of the proposed location for the upcoming Tesla plant. And while GM is likely not basing its decision on its competition’s new location, both automakers have probably been lured to the site not only for the aforementioned cheaper labor and quick access to the U.S. market but also for the safety and infrastructure available in the area.

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According to the U.S. State Department travel advisory site, the area of Monterey is safer than other border locations, including Baja California and the State of Tamaulipas. At the same time, the locations chosen by both manufacturers are serviced by one of the largest highways going into the United States, Mexico Route 85/U.S. Interstate 35.

It is a positive sign to see the behemoth of General Motors finally changing course toward electric vehicles. And while its recently announced products have been fantastic to hear about, announcing production changes is more concrete evidence of the change happening behind the scenes. And whatever the company decides to build at its Mexican facility, you can count me as excited to see it come to fruition.

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!

Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces major update with texting and driving on FSD

“Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes,” Musk said in regards to FSD v14.2.1 allowing texting and driving.

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Credit: carwow/YouTube

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced a major update with texting and driving capabilities on Full Self-Driving v14.2.1, the company’s latest version of the FSD suite.

Tesla Full Self-Driving, even in its most mature and capable versions, is still a Level 2 autonomous driving suite, meaning it requires attention from the vehicle operator.

You cannot sleep, and you should not take attention away from driving; ultimately, you are still solely responsible for what happens with the car.

The vehicles utilize a cabin-facing camera to enable attention monitoring, and if you take your eyes off the road for too long, you will be admonished and advised to pay attention. After five strikes, FSD and Autopilot will be disabled.

However, Musk announced at the Annual Shareholder Meeting in early November that the company would look at the statistics, but it aimed to allow people to text and drive “within the next month or two.”

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He said:

“I am confident that, within the next month or two, we’re gonna look at the safety statistics, but we will allow you to text and drive.”

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Today, Musk confirmed that the current version of Full Self-Driving, which is FSD v14.2.1, does allow for texting and driving “depending on context of surrounding traffic.”

There are some legitimate questions with this capability, especially as laws in all 50 U.S. states specifically prohibit texting and driving. It will be interesting to see the legality of it, because if a police officer sees you texting, they won’t know that you’re on Full Self-Driving, and you’ll likely be pulled over.

Some states prohibit drivers from even holding a phone when the car is in motion.

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It is certainly a move toward unsupervised Full Self-Driving operation, but it is worth noting that Musk’s words state it will only allow the vehicle operator to do it depending on the context of surrounding traffic.

He did not outline any specific conditions that FSD would allow a driver to text and drive.

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Tesla Semi just got a huge vote of confidence from 300-truck fleet

The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Semi is moving closer to broader fleet adoption, with Keller Logistics Group wrapping up a key pre-production planning session with the electric vehicle maker’s team this week. 

The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.

Keller’s pre-production Tesla Semi sessions

Keller Logistics Group, a family-owned carrier with over 300 tractors and 1,000 trailers operating in the Midwest and Southeast, completed the session to assess the Tesla Semi’s fit for its operations. The company’s routes typically span 500-600 miles per day, positioning it as an ideal tester for the Semi’s day cab configuration in standard logistics scenarios. 

Details remain under mutual NDA, but the meeting reportedly focused on matching the truck to yard, shuttle and regional applications while scrutinizing economics like infrastructure, maintenance and incentives.

What Keller’s executives are saying

CEO Bryan Keller described the approach as methodical. “For us, staying ahead isn’t a headline, it’s a habit. From electrification and yard automation to digital visibility and warehouse technology, our teams are continually pressure-testing what’s next. The Tesla Semi discussion is one more way we evaluate new tools against our standards for safety, uptime, and customer ROI. We don’t chase trends, we pressure-test what works,” Keller said. 

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Benjamin Pierce, Chief Strategy Officer, echoed these sentiments. “Electrification and next-generation powertrains are part of a much broader transformation. Whether it’s proprietary yard systems like YardLink™, solar and renewable logistics solutions, or real-time vehicle intelligence, Keller’s approach stays the same, test it, prove it, and deploy it only when it strengthens service and total cost for our customers,” Pierce said. 

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Tesla extends FSD Supervised ride-alongs in Europe by three months

Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe. 

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla appears to be doubling down on its European Full Self-Driving (Supervised) push, with the company extending its demo ride-along program by three months until the end of March 2026. The update seems to have been implemented due to overwhelming demand. 

Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe. 

Extended FSD demonstrations

Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager Ivan Komušanac shared on LinkedIn that the company is offering ride-along experiences in Germany, France and Italy while working toward FSD (Supervised) approval in Europe.

He noted that this provides a great feedback opportunity from the general public, encouraging participants to record and share their experiences. For those unable to book in December, Komušanac teased more slots as “Christmas presents.”

Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt highlighted the extension on X, stating that dates now run from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, in multiple cities including Stuttgart-Weinstadt, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in Germany. This suggests that the FSD ride-along program in Europe has officially been extended until the end of the first quarter of 2026. 

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Building momentum for European approval

Replies to Merritt’s posts buzzed with excitement, with users like @AuzyMale noting that Cologne and Düsseldorf are already fully booked. This sentiment was echoed by numerous other Tesla enthusiasts on social media. Calls for the program’s expansion to other European territories have also started gaining steam, with some X users suggesting Switzerland and Finland as the next locations for FSD ride-alongs.

Ultimately, the Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager’s post aligns with the company’s broader FSD efforts in Europe. As per recent reports, Tesla recently demonstrated FSD’s capabilities for Rome officials. Reporters from media outlets in France and Germany have also published positive reviews of FSD’s capabilities on real-world roads. 

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