News
Lucid expands preorder to Middle East market, home to its biggest investor
Lucid, an electric car startup based out of Silicon Valley, California, announced that its vehicle market would expand past North America and Europe, and well into the Middle East’s automotive sector.
Lucid recently announced its expansion into the Middle East in late April. “We’re expanding #LucidAir availability beyond North American, and EU markets to now include the first markets in the Middle East. Reserve yours today,” the company posted. As of now, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the two countries in the region where the Air is available for pre-order.
We’re expanding #LucidAir availability beyond North American and EU markets to now include the first markets in the Middle East. Reserve yours today: https://t.co/ScmFMrDkiK pic.twitter.com/vEJgEVJynm
— Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) April 27, 2020
Lucid’s expansion to the Middle East could be linked to one of the company’s biggest investors. In 2018, Lucid Motors managed to secure a fund from the Saudi Arabian Investment Fund, which at one time held a 5% stake in Tesla before unloading all of its shares in late 2019 and early 2020. Lucid received a $1 billion investment from the fund, injecting plenty of money into the company, some of which could have helped fund the initial building phases of its $800 million production facility in Casa Grande, Arizona.
It appears that some of Lucid’s supporters who live in the Middle East have already reserved the Air. One follower took a screenshot of the confirmation e-mail and replied to Lucid’s tweet, to which the automaker replied, “Thank you for being a part of the Lucid family. We can’t wait to get you behind the wheel.”
Thank you for being a part of the Lucid family. We can't wait to get you behind the wheel.
— Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) April 29, 2020
However, other followers seemed reluctant to pre-order the vehicle because of climate differences. One potential owner in Saudi Arabia stated that while they were interested in purchasing the Air, they were concerned about the variations in temperature between Northern California and his country. Lucid noted that the Air would undergo temperature dependency testing before its initial production phases began at the tail end of 2020.
Thank you for your comment. Prior to the start of production, the Lucid Air will undergo a hot weather testing program to ensure safety and reliability in such environments.
— Lucid Motors (@LucidMotors) April 30, 2020
Although Lucid has yet to begin its first production of the Air, the vehicle has undergone extensive testing. In April, the car traveled on an 800-mile journey from its headquarters in Silicon Valley to Los Angeles and back, charging just two times throughout the trip. The 800-mile journey all but confirmed the Air’s 400-mile range per charge claims, which are backed by extensive testing and development of its battery systems and powertrain.
Lucid anticipates its first Middle Eastern orders to be fulfilled during the second half of 2021. Right now, prices for the Air in the Middle East are unknown. Lucid stated, “Detailed pricing, product specifications, and available configurations for the Middle East markets will be announced closer to the start of production.”
News
Tesla looks to upgrade Matrix Headlights with new features
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.

