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Jaguar I-PACE gets $3K ‘Tesla Conquest’ incentive in recent marketing push

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With the electric vehicle market in the United States practically being dominated by the Tesla Model 3, veteran automaker Jaguar appears to be putting some effort into pushing its own premium all-electric vehicle, the I-PACE. Among these efforts is a rather unique marketing campaign that has started making its way through social media, highlighting potential savings of up to $15,000 from the I-PACE’s MSRP. 

Based on the advertisement, the $15,000 total savings will be comprised of a $5,000 dealer discount, a $7,000 “Allowance Credit,” and an additional $3,000 “Tesla Conquest.” The ad, which could be viewed below, explains exactly what the I-PACE’s “Tesla Conquest” incentive entails. 

“For an owner or a member of an owner’s household where a Tesla vehicle is currently registered (proof of ownership/registration is required). Limit one incentive per eligible VIN. Can be used towards the lease or purchase of a new, unused 2019 Jaguar I-PACE. No trade-in required. Not redeemable for cash. Incentive paid to dealer and requires dealer participation.”

https://twitter.com/tesla_truth/status/1161189567686250497?s=20

Jaguar’s target demographic of choice is quite interesting, to say the least. It does, if any, suggest that the veteran British automaker is aiming to convert existing Tesla owners into I-PACE owners. This is a pretty common marketing strategy, though it does very little to help Tesla and Elon Musk’s aim of transitioning existing gas car owners to electric-powered transportation. 

Such a marketing campaign could potentially backfire on the I-PACE as well, considering that the vehicle lacks the support of a Supercharger Network for convenient, near-effortless long-distance travel and other common Tesla amenities such as free over-the-air updates (at least for now). It is also quite noteworthy to see Jaguar specifically targeting existing Tesla owners, and not other EV enthusiasts who drive electric cars like the Chevy Bolt and the Nissan Leaf.

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It should be noted that Jaguar’s recent marketing efforts appear to be quite Tesla-focused as of late. Apart from this recent marketing push, printed I-PACE materials also mention comparisons to Tesla and its electric vehicles.

The Jaguar I-PACE has earned multiple awards since its release. Just this past April, the I-PACE beat out its fellow “Tesla Competitor,” the Audi e-tron, to win the 2019 World Car of the Year, the World Car Design of the Year, and World Green Car of the Year awards. Overall, the I-PACE had gathered over 60 international awards from automotive industry groups and media publishers in areas such as design, handling and performance, technological innovation, and passenger safety.

The I-PACE appears to be experiencing some growing pains, with only select dealers in the United States being knowledgeable about the vehicle. This results in an ownership experience that has a hefty room for improvement. The I-PACE was also hit by a recall last June over a fault in the vehicle’s regenerative braking system, which could result in an “increased delay” when a driver hits the brakes and when the SUV begins slowing down.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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BREAKING: Tesla launches public Robotaxi rides in Austin with no Safety Monitor

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Tesla has officially launched public Robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, without a Safety Monitor in the vehicle, marking the first time the company has removed anyone from the vehicle other than the rider.

The Safety Monitor has been present in Tesla Robotaxis in Austin since its launch last June, maintaining safety for passengers and other vehicles, and was placed in the passenger’s seat.

Tesla planned to remove the Safety Monitor at the end of 2025, but it was not quite ready to do so. Now, in January, riders are officially reporting that they are able to hail a ride from a Model Y Robotaxi without anyone in the vehicle:

Tesla started testing this internally late last year and had several employees show that they were riding in the vehicle without anyone else there to intervene in case of an emergency.

Tesla has now expanded that program to the public. It is not active in the entire fleet, but there are a “few unsupervised vehicles mixed in with the broader robotaxi fleet with safety monitors,” Ashok Elluswamy said:

Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing

The Robotaxi program also operates in the California Bay Area, where the fleet is much larger, but Safety Monitors are placed in the driver’s seat and utilize Full Self-Driving, so it is essentially the same as an Uber driver using a Tesla with FSD.

In Austin, the removal of Safety Monitors marks a substantial achievement for Tesla moving forward. Now that it has enough confidence to remove Safety Monitors from Robotaxis altogether, there are nearly unlimited options for the company in terms of expansion.

While it is hoping to launch the ride-hailing service in more cities across the U.S. this year, this is a much larger development than expansion, at least for now, as it is the first time it is performing driverless rides in Robotaxi anywhere in the world for the public to enjoy.

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Tesla Earnings Call: Top 5 questions investors are asking

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has scheduled its Earnings Call for Q4 and Full Year 2025 for next Wednesday, January 28, at 5:30 p.m. EST, and investors are already preparing to get some answers from executives regarding a wide variety of topics.

The company accepts several questions from retail investors through the platform Say, which then allows shareholders to vote on the best questions.

Tesla does not answer anything regarding future product releases, but they are willing to shed light on current timelines, progress of certain projects, and other plans.

There are five questions that range over a variety of topics, including SpaceX, Full Self-Driving, Robotaxi, and Optimus, which are currently in the lead to be asked and potentially answered by Elon Musk and other Tesla executives:

SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms

  1. You once said: Loyalty deserves loyalty. Will long-term Tesla shareholders still be prioritized if SpaceX does an IPO?
    1. Our Take – With a lot of speculation regarding an incoming SpaceX IPO, Tesla investors, especially long-term ones, should be able to benefit from an early opportunity to purchase shares. This has been discussed endlessly over the past year, and we must be getting close to it.
  2. When is FSD going to be 100% unsupervised?
    1. Our Take – Musk said today that this is essentially a solved problem, and it could be available in the U.S. by the end of this year.
  3. What is the current bottleneck to increase Robotaxi deployment & personal use unsupervised FSD? The safety/performance of the most recent models or people to monitor robots, robotaxis, in-car, or remotely? Or something else?
    1. Our Take – The bottleneck seems to be based on data, which Musk said Tesla needs 10 billion miles of data to achieve unsupervised FSD. Once that happens, regulatory issues will be what hold things up from moving forward.
  4. Regarding Optimus, could you share the current number of units deployed in Tesla factories and actively performing production tasks? What specific roles or operations are they handling, and how has their integration impacted factory efficiency or output?
    1. Our Take – Optimus is going to have a larger role in factories moving forward, and later this year, they will have larger responsibilities.
  5. Can you please tie purchased FSD to our owner accounts vs. locked to the car? This will help us enjoy it in any Tesla we drive/buy and reward us for hanging in so long, some of us since 2017.
    1. Our Take – This is a good one and should get us some additional information on the FSD transfer plans and Subscription-only model that Tesla will adopt soon.

Tesla will have its Earnings Call on Wednesday, January 28.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk shares incredible detail about Tesla Cybercab efficiency

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(Credit: Tesla North America | X)

Elon Musk shared an incredible detail about Tesla Cybercab’s potential efficiency, as the company has hinted in the past that it could be one of the most affordable vehicles to operate from a per-mile basis.

ARK Invest released a report recently that shed some light on the potential incremental cost per mile of various Robotaxis that will be available on the market in the coming years.

The Cybercab, which is detailed for the year 2030, has an exceptionally low cost of operation, which is something Tesla revealed when it unveiled the vehicle a year and a half ago at the “We, Robot” event in Los Angeles.

Musk said on numerous occasions that Tesla plans to hit the $0.20 cents per mile mark with the Cybercab, describing a “clear path” to achieving that figure and emphasizing it is the “full considered” cost, which would include energy, maintenance, cleaning, depreciation, and insurance.

ARK’s report showed that the Cybercab would be roughly half the cost of the Waymo 6th Gen Robotaxi in 2030, as that would come in at around $0.40 per mile all in. Cybercab, at scale, would be at $0.20.

Credit: ARK Invest

This would be a dramatic decrease in the cost of operation for Tesla, and the savings would then be passed on to customers who choose to utilize the ride-sharing service for their own transportation needs.

The U.S. average cost of new vehicle ownership is about $0.77 per mile, according to AAA. Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft rideshares often cost between $1 and $4 per mile, while Waymo can cost between $0.60 and $1 or more per mile, according to some estimates.

Tesla’s engineering has been the true driver of these cost efficiencies, and its focus on creating a vehicle that is as cost-effective to operate as possible is truly going to pay off as the vehicle begins to scale. Tesla wants to get the Cybercab to about 5.5-6 miles per kWh, which has been discussed with prototypes.

Additionally, fewer parts due to the umboxed manufacturing process, a lower initial cost, and eliminating the need to pay humans for their labor would also contribute to a cheaper operational cost overall. While aspirational, all of the ingredients for this to be a real goal are there.

It may take some time as Tesla needs to hammer the manufacturing processes, and Musk has said there will be growing pains early. This week, he said regarding the early production efforts:

“…initial production is always very slow and follows an S-curve. The speed of production ramp is inversely proportionate to how many new parts and steps there are. For Cybercab and Optimus, almost everything is new, so the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast.”

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