

News
Rivian will build its next EV manufacturing plant in Georgia
Rivian Automotive has chosen Georgia as the location for its next United States production plant. The company confirmed this in its Q3 2021 Earnings Call Shareholder Deck earlier today.
“Building our recently announced second domestic manufacturing facility near Atlanta, Georgia (500,000 targeted annual production capacity with eventual co-located cell production),” Rivian listed in its list of achievements. Production is slated to begin in 2024.
Rivian has just started production and deliveries of its R1T pickup, the company’s first vehicle and the first all-electric pickup to hit the U.S. automotive market. These initial units were produced at the company’s main manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, where the company is based. However, based on demand for the growing EV sector and initial interest in Rivian’s products, the company has already decided to move forward with its next facility.
Speculation regarding where Rivian would choose for its second facility, which has been named “Project Terra,” has been slim. However, Fort Worth, Texas, and an unconfirmed location in Georgia, likely to be East of Atlanta, were mentioned with the most enthusiasm.
The announcement was being prepared well ahead of the Earnings Call. Here’s the scene at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta a half-hour ahead of the call.
Waiting for Rivian announce their GA news …. pic.twitter.com/RsXPHlKXSb
— Gabrielle Coppola (@gablova) December 16, 2021
Fort Worth seemed to be Rivian’s first choice, especially as a Fort Worth City Council Work Study proposed that the introduction of the electric automaker’s second plant to the area would contribute 7,500 new jobs to the area by the end of 2027. It would also provide average wages of $56,000 and would require a $5 billion investment from the City. It would be paid back in 8.1 years. Fort Worth officials never responded to Teslarati’s request for comment, but Rivian did tell us that the company “is in discussions with multiple locations as part of a competitive process for siting a second manufacturing facility. This may include Rivian being involved in certain public-facing processes at potential locations. Involvement in these processes does not indicate a final decision.”
In November, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Rivian was already in late-stage discussions to open a plant along Interstate 20, east of Atlanta. The plant was rumoredly going to land in Morgan, Newton, or Walton county, although there was no commitment to the area by Rivian.
Rivian was heavily recruited by the State of Georgia, according to reports, as State-level officials were interested in bringing a large-scale EV manufacturing project to the area, which would undoubtedly supply thousands of manufacturing jobs. Georgia is already the home of the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia facility, which produces 360,000 cars per year and is comprised of 2.2 million square feet of manufacturing space.
The full shareholder deck is available here.
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News
Tesla owner-investor stands ground after receiving Nazi-themed mail, welcomes new Model Y
The Tesla investor even made it a point to purchase the brightest shade available for her new Model Y.

A TSLA investor has decided to stand her ground after receiving a threatening, Nazi-themed card at her home.
The Tesla investor even welcomed a new Ultra Red Tesla Model Y to show her support for the company.
Responding with a New Tesla
As per 58-year-old Alexandra Merz, an investment analyst and immigration consultant who immigrated from Germany to the United States, she received mail from a Boston address to her home on April 17. Upon opening the letter, she was greeted by an image of the Tesla logo incorporated with a Nazi salute.
Inside the card was a handwritten message which read, “History has its eyes on you.” Merz promptly reported the message to the FBI. In a comment to the New York Post, she stated that she is now even more motivated to support Elon Musk and his ventures.
“This atrocious behavior motivates me even more to stand up for Tesla, Elon, and DOGE,” Merz noted. “I bought our fifth Tesla last Saturday, a beautiful red Model Y, the best car out there. And it drives itself.”
An Unfortunate Trend
In previous comments, Merz expressed her disdain for the ongoing attacks against Tesla and Musk. “Tesla is employing more than 140,000 employees worldwide, building the most American cars in the U.S., and building the European Model Ys in Berlin. I often wonder whether these protesters have thought through what they are doing,” she stated.
Elon Musk himself admitted to the disturbing trend during Tesla’s Q1 2025 earnings call, stating that “there’s been some blowback for the time that I’ve been spending in government with the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.” The CEO also stated that he would soon be stepping back from DOGE’s everyday operations and focusing more of his time on Tesla.
U.S. President Donald Trump also addressed the ongoing attacks on Teslas in a comment about Musk’s impeding step back from DOGE. As per Trump, people against Musk are taking out their frustrations on Tesla and its owners, which is unfair. He also described the people behind the attacks on Tesla as “sick.”
News
Trump’s tariff exemptions for car parts bring mixed relief to automakers

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to grant tariff exemptions for car parts, offering partial relief to automakers amid intense industry lobbying. Trump’s tariff exemptions aim to ease the burden of trade policies disrupting the auto sector.
The expected tariff exemptions will spare car parts from duties targeting Chinese imports and those on steel and aluminum, per two sources familiar with the matter. Sources called the strategy a “destacking” of tariffs. The 25% tariff on foreign-made cars, already in effect, and a 25% duty on imported car parts, set for May 3, will remain.
The Center for Automotive Research estimated that Trump’s 25% tariffs on automotive imports will inflate automakers’ costs by $108 billion in 2025, threatening profitability and supply chains. Automakers are clambering to comply with Trump’s auto tariffs while maintaining car prices, or at least keeping prices reasonable. However, the tariffs threaten to unravel the auto industry, affecting automakers, parts suppliers, and long-established supply chains.
Tesla has quickly adjusted to Trump’s auto tariffs, suspending plans to ship components from China for its Cybercab and Semi electric trucks to the U.S. Similarly, Ford halted shipments of select vehicles to China, facing retaliatory tariffs as high as 150%, which have severely impacted its export strategy.
The partial exemptions offer a reprieve for automakers reliant on global supply chains, but the persistent 25% tariffs on cars and auto parts continue to challenge cost structures. As U.S. automakers navigate these trade hurdles, the exemptions could stabilize some operations, though rising car prices and supply chain disruptions remain significant concerns for the industry’s outlook in 2025.
Elon Musk
Donald Trump shares thoughts on Elon Musk’s DOGE step back
The U.S. President also noted that Musk is a great patriot, and that the people who attack Teslas are “sick.”

During Tesla’s first quarter earnings call, CEO Elon Musk announced that starting in May, he would be stepping back from the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) daily operations.
Musk’s comments were received positively by TSLA investors, resulting in the company’s stock rising despite Tesla missing Q1 expectations.
Musk’s Comments
In his opening remarks at the Tesla Q1 2025 earnings call, Musk acknowledged that there has been some blowback to Tesla due to his activities at DOGE. And while he believes that the protests against Tesla are very organized and likely paid for, he also noted that it is time for him to allocate more of his time to Tesla.
“Starting probably next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly… I’ll be allocating probably more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” Musk noted.
Trump’s Response
Considering Musk’s comments, it was no surprise that United States President Donald Trump was asked about the CEO’s impending step back from DOGE. Trump stated that he “can’t speak more highly about any individual,” and that Elon Musk has contributed a lot to the administration due to his work with DOGE. The president highlighted, however, that the backlash against Tesla has been extremely unfair.
“I also know that he was treated very unfairly by the, I guess he called the public, by some of the public, not by all of it. He makes an incredible car. Everything he does is good, but they took it out on Tesla, and I just thought it was so unfair, because he’s trying to help the country, but he has helped the country,” Trump stated.
The U.S. President also noted that Musk is a great patriot, and that the people who attack Teslas are “sick.” Trump also praised Elon Musk’s initiatives, stating that all the CEO’s projects are great, from Starlink to Neuralink to SpaceX to Tesla.
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