Lucid Motors, a luxury electric car startup based out of Silicon Valley, California, recently announced an independently-confirmed .21 drag coefficient (Cd) for its flagship sedan, the Air, making it the most aerodynamic electric vehicle in line for mass-market sale if true. Now, CEO Peter Rawlinson has also confirmed that future customers will, in fact, be able to directly purchase a vehicle from the company which achieves these top-tier numbers.
“To the best of our knowledge, and we could be wrong, it’s the lowest Cd of a luxury production-intent vehicle,” CEO Peter Rawlinson told Car and Driver in recently published comments. He also affirmed that a Lucid Air with a .21 Cd would be for sale at some point to customers, according to the same article relaying the discussion.
The final production version of the Air will not be revealed until September this year, though, and once available for purchase, only a variant with a higher Cd will be initially offered – the Dream Edition. When the best aerodynamics Lucid has to offer are up for grabs, it should be noted that the wheels and tires will greatly factor into this possibility. For now, that means whatever body style was used in their latest tunnel test plus specially designed 19-inch wheels and 245/45R-19 Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus tires.
In the meantime, the nascent carmaker will have to rely on a “just wait and see” approach to validating their Cd claims of late.
“We can’t afford our own tunnel, so you better believe our results, because they’re from Windshear, and it’s validated,” Rawlinson clarified to Car and Driver. “I want to emphasize this… Lucid is not making this claim, Lucid is telling the world that this is the result that Windshear recorded.” Windshear is a well-regarded, independent rolling road wind tunnel facility which tests vehicle aerodynamics at wind speeds up to 180 mph.
Considering that Lucid’s market pitch since its inception has been laser-focused on aero efficiency, it’s not surprising that so much effort has been put into achieving the types of numbers the company is now touting. Rawlinson previously worked as the chief engineer for the Tesla Model S, which has a Cd of 0.23, in a way pitting the CEO against himself in the race for best vehicle aerodynamics.
-->Once on the market, Lucid plans an EPA range of more than 400 miles, a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds, and a 1,000+ horsepower setup with 235 mph as its top speed. The lower Cd will contribute to achieving that range, of course. “The most important thing here is efficiency, and we’re chasing down four miles per kilowatt-hour for our car,” Rawlinson previously told Jonathan Gitlin of Ars Technica.
Lucid revealed a fleet of prototypes earlier this year which are undergoing testing to improve the company’s edge in all areas, not just aerodynamics. Final details on pricing, product specifications, and available configurations will be available once production officially begins. Order fulfillment is planned for the second half of 2021.
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Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands.
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.
Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun.
“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website.
-->This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
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Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month.
Tesla’s sales momentum in China strengthened in November, with wholesale volumes rising to 86,700 units, reversing a slowdown seen in October.
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month. This was partly driven by tightened delivery windows, targeted marketing, and buyers moving to secure vehicles before changes to national purchase tax incentives take effect.
Tesla’s November rebound coincided with a noticeable spike in Model Y interest across China. Delivery wait times extended multiple times over the month, jumping from an initial 2–5 weeks to estimated handovers in January and February 2026 for most five-seat variants. Only the six-seat Model Y L kept its 4–8 week estimated delivery timeframe.
The company amplified these delivery updates across its Chinese social media channels, urging buyers to lock in orders early to secure 2025 delivery slots and preserve eligibility for current purchase tax incentives, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Tesla also highlighted that new inventory-built Model Y units were available for customers seeking guaranteed handovers before December 31.
This combination of urgency marketing and genuine supply-demand pressure seemed to have helped boost November’s volumes, stabilizing what had been a year marked by several months of year-over-year declines.
-->For the January–November period, Tesla China recorded 754,561 wholesale units, an 8.30% decline compared to the same period last year. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory continues to operate as both a domestic production base and a major global export hub, building the Model 3 and Model Y for markets across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, among other territories.
Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.
“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Short, and was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”
Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation
For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.
Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.
While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.
Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.
In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.
Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.
It closed at $430.14 on Monday.
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
