News
Pininfarina grows its U.S. footprint in early bid for EV hypercar market control
Automobili Pininfarina has announced today that it is again expanding its dealership network in the United States as it looks to take advantage of the small number of electric hypercars currently on the market.
With Pininfarina’s relationship with Ferrari essentially coming to an end in 2017 with the release of the Ferrari-designed La Ferrari, it was no surprise that the famous Italian brand decided to build a car of its own. Still, the fact that its first offering, the Pininfarina Batista, would be electric was a shock to many. Now, the luxury Italian hypercar maker is looking to double down on its lead as it announces yet another dealership as part of its network in the United States.
Pininfarina’s newest dealership is Salt Lake City Motorcars in Utah, the company’s 11th dealer in the U.S., following the establishment of a brand new network of dealers that began in 2021. But if you want one of Pininfarina’s exclusive electric hypercars, you might already be too late, as the company will only be making 150. In one of their most recent showings at Monterey Car Week, the exclusive “Anniversario” edition sold out by the end of the event.
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In the world of hypercars, the Pininfarina Batista is a rare breed. Besides the Rimac Nevara, which the Batista is based on, the Lotus Evija, and some assorted EV startup offerings, the market is quite barren. This is especially the case when looking at traditional segment leaders, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Koenigsegg, McLaren, or even Pagani, who have yet to dip their toes in EVs. Moreover, mainstream brands like Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi have yet to electrify their highest-performance offerings.
Lamborghini outlines massive $1.8 billion plan to shift to electrification
“This masterpiece of Italian design is the very pinnacle of performance and luxury,” says Gösta Henning, Chief Sales Officer of Automobili Pininfarina. “With its sophisticated electric powertrain and unprecedented power. We have made a fantastic start in North America with Battista and we look forward to building momentum in an extremely important region through our collaboration with Automobili Pininfarina Salt Lake City.”
While it can be hard to quantify the demand for hypercars due to the nature of their limited production runs, there is no question that the Pininfarina Batista is bringing something new to the table. While retaining the historic prestige of the Pininfarina brand, which has arguably designed some of the most beautiful cars ever made, the Batista gives drivers unprecedented power and agility, most recently achieving a certified 0-60 time of 1.79 seconds. A time, if you are curious, that will undoubtedly turn your brain to mush instantaneously.
The Batista achieves this insane acceleration thanks to a quad-motor system that produces 1,900 horsepower and 1,726 pound-feet of torque. On top of that, the hypercar still achieves a respectable 300 miles of range, made possible by an enormous 120kWh battery. All for the low, low price of $2.2 million.
Pininfarina is once again on the very cutting edge of the auto industry, blending beauty and the future of mobility in amazing harmony. While it remains to be seen how the market will treat the company’s first vehicle, it will certainly be remembered as a trailblazer in years to come.
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!
News
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
“This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
Tesla has dispelled reports that it is facing a thirty-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a penalty to the company after a judge ruled it “misled consumers about its driver-assistance technology.”
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the California DMV was planning to adopt the penalty but decided to put it on ice for ninety days, giving Tesla an opportunity to “come into compliance.”
Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California
Tesla responded to the report on Tuesday evening, after it came out, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order that was brought up over its use of the term “Autopilot.”
The company said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” yet a judge and the DMV determined it was, so they want to apply the penalty if Tesla doesn’t oblige.
However, Tesla said that its sales operations in California “will continue uninterrupted.”
It confirmed this in an X post on Tuesday night:
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
The report and the decision by the DMV and Judge involved sparked outrage from the Tesla community, who stated that it should do its best to get out of California.
One X post said California “didn’t deserve” what Tesla had done for it in terms of employment, engineering, and innovation.
Tesla has used Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but it did add the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite earlier this year, potentially aiming to protect itself from instances like this one.
This is the first primary dispute over the terminology of Full Self-Driving, but it has undergone some scrutiny at the federal level, as some government officials have claimed the suite has “deceptive” naming. Previous Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was vocally critical of the use of the name “Full Self-Driving,” as well as “Autopilot.”
News
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.
After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.
However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.
Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.
🚨UPDATE: $7,500 Tax Credit Portal “Closes By End of Year”.
This is bad news for pending Tesla buyers (MYP) looking to lock in the $7,500 Tax Credit.
“it looks like the portal closes by end of the year so there be no way for us to guarantee the funds however, we will try our… pic.twitter.com/LnWiaXL30k
— DennisCW | wen my L (@DennisCW_) December 15, 2025
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.
However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.
This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
