News
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe hints at initial production of 20k-40k vehicles in 2021
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe was recently profiled by The New York Times, and hidden among the stories about the all-electric car maker’s early design days was an inital production estimate for the R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV. In 2021, Rivian’s estimated first full year of rolling vehicles through the assembly line, Scaringe is anticipating 20,000 to 40,000 cars will be made.
The electric vehicle startup purchased its Normal, Illinois car factory from Misubishi in 2017. Since then, the Rivian team – which includes prior Mitsubishi plant workers – has been hard at work bringing the company up to a high-volume manufacturing level. Rivian’s progress is apparently going very well, and Scaringe has teased a few other projects underway for the facility such as an on-site food farm for employees.
Residents local to Rivian’s facility also appear to be giving their nod of approval to the car maker’s efforts. Earlier this week, the Normal City Council decided to move ahead with a request to rename Mitsubishi Motorway, the stretch of highway leading to Rivian’s plant, to Rivian Motorway. Another street with access to the factory is also in line for a rename – Sakura Lane will become Electric Avenue.
In driving the progress of the company, Scaringe was described as having a few parallels with Tesla’s Elon Musk. “Fortunately, my personality is one that I never lost confidence I could do it,” he told the Times. “That doesn’t mean I always knew how I was going to do it.” Musk’s matra that was repeated often in the early days of Tesla and SpaceX was similar. “If something is important enough, you do it, even if the odds are not in your favor,” he told interviewers on several occasions. Musk even admitted to the low probability of success for both of his primary companies, 10% for SpaceX, and ‘very very low’ for Tesla, specifically. Scaringe seems to have a bit of a better head start with Rivian from Tesla’s spearheading the electric vehicle industry.
A few interesting details about Rivian’s beginnings have made the rounds since the company unveiled its R1T and R1S flagship vehicles. For one, Scaringe set out to start a car company with the global environment in mind. He was a car person at heart, a Porsche fan in particular, but over time he realized there was a contradiction between what he loved and what his values were with regard to sustainability. Even the fuel-efficient sports car Rivian initially designed wasn’t good enough for what Scaringe wanted to achieve.
“In my heart and soul, I knew I wasn’t answering the fundamental question of why the world needs this company to be successful,” Scaringe is quoted as saying in the article.
He decided to start over with something else more aligned with his personal values after finishing the first car in 2011. From there, Rivian was born, built, developed, and now on the way to delivering its first all-electric adventure vehices by the end of next year. If there’s one thing that the Times piece made clear, it’s the level of dedication Scaringe and the Rivian team has put into making their R1T truck and R1S SUV a reality.
Rivian is still taking preorders on its website and aims to have its first vehicles delivered by the end of 2020.
Elon Musk
Tesla and xAI team up on massive new project
It is the latest move by a Musk company to automate, streamline, and reduce the manual, monotonous, and tedious work currently performed by humans through AI and robotics development. Digital Optimus will be capable of processing and actioning the past five seconds of a real-time computer screen video and keyboard and mouse actions.
Elon Musk teased a massive new project, to be developed jointly by Tesla and xAI, called “Digital Optimus” or “Macrohard,” the first development under Tesla’s investment agreement with xAI.
Musk announced on X that Digital Optimus will “be capable of emulating the function of entire companies.”
Macrohard or Digital Optimus is a joint xAI-Tesla project, coming as part of Tesla’s investment agreement with xAI.
Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2026
It is the latest move by a Musk company to automate, streamline, and reduce the manual, monotonous, and tedious work currently performed by humans through AI and robotics development. Digital Optimus will be capable of processing and actioning the past five seconds of a real-time computer screen video and keyboard and mouse actions.
Essentially, it will be an AI version of a desk worker in many capacities, including accounting, HR tasks, and others.
Musk said:
“Grok is the master conductor/navigator with deep understanding of the world to direct digital Optimus, which is processing and actioning the past 5 secs of real-time computer screen video and keyboard/mouse actions. Grok is like a much more advanced and sophisticated version of turn-by-turn navigation software. You can think of it as Digital Optimus AI being System 1 (instinctive part of the mind) and Grok being System 2. (thinking part of the mind).”
Its key applications would be used for enterprise automation, simulating entire companies, high-volume repetitive tasks, and potentially, future hybrid use with the Optimus robot, which would handle physical tasks, while Digital Optimus would handle the clerical work.
The creation of a digital AI suite like Digital Optimus would help companies save time and money, as well as become more efficient in their operations through massive scalability. However, there will undoubtedly be concerns from people who are skeptical of a fully-integrated AI workhorse like this one.
From an energy consumption perspective and just a general concern for the human workforce, these types of AI projects are polarizing in nature.
However, Digital Optimus would be a great digital counterpart to Tesla’s physical Optimus robot, as it would be a hyper-efficient addition to any company that is looking for more production for less cost.
Musk maintains that there is no other company on Earth that will be able to do this.
Elon Musk
Tesla China posts strong February wholesale growth at Gigafactory Shanghai
The update was shared by Tesla observers on social media platform X, citing monthly China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data.
Tesla China sold 58,599 vehicles wholesale in February, reflecting strong year-over-year growth. The figure includes both domestic deliveries in China and vehicles exported to international markets.
The update was shared by Tesla observers on social media platform X, citing monthly China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data.
Tesla’s February wholesale result represents a 91% increase year over year, compared with 30,688 vehicles in February 2025. Month over month, the result was down 15.2% from January, when Tesla China recorded 69,129 wholesale units.
The February total reflects combined sales of the Model 3 and Model Y produced at Gigafactory Shanghai. The facility produces the two vehicles for both domestic sales and exports.
Gigafactory Shanghai continues to serve as Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub, supplying vehicles to markets across Asia and Europe. Data compiled by Tesla watchers shows that 18,485 vehicles were sold domestically in China in January 2026, while exports accounted for 50,644 units during the same period.
Tesla has also been extending financing programs in China as it pushes to strengthen domestic demand. The company recently extended its seven-year ultra-low-interest and five-year interest-free financing programs through March 31, marking the second extension of the promotion this year.
The financing initiative was first introduced on January 6 as a strategy aimed at offsetting higher ownership costs ahead of China’s planned 5% NEV purchase tax in 2026. The promotion was originally scheduled to expire at the end of January before being extended to February and then again through the end of the first quarter.
Tesla’s efforts come amid growing competition in China’s EV market. According to data compiled by CNEV Post, Tesla’s 2025 retail sales in China reached 625,698 vehicles, representing a 4.78% year-over-year decline. Part of that decline was linked to the Model Y changeover to its updated variant in early 2025, which temporarily reduced deliveries during the transition period.
News
Tesla Model Y L spotted on transport trucks in Australia
One of the sightings was reported along Victoria Parade in Melbourne, and it showed multiple Model Y L vehicles on a transport carrier.
Tesla’s upcoming Model Y L has been spotted on transport trucks in Australia. Sightings of the six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y variant have been reported on social media platform X by members of the Australian Tesla community.
One of the sightings was reported along Victoria Parade in Melbourne, and it showed multiple Model Y L vehicles on a transport carrier.
The sighting follows earlier observations by Tesla enthusiasts in Sydney, where a covered vehicle believed to be a Model Y L was spotted at a Supercharger.
The Sydney sighting drew attention after observers noted that the vehicle’s tare weight appeared to match the ADR approval listing for the Model Y L, suggesting it could indeed be the extended wheelbase variant of the electric SUV.
Tesla has previously confirmed that the Model Y L will launch in Australia and New Zealand in 2026. The confirmation was reported by techAU following a media release from Tesla Australia and New Zealand.
The Model Y L expands the existing Model Y lineup with seating for six passengers. The vehicle features a longer body compared with the standard Model Y in order to accommodate a spacious second and third row.
Tesla has opted for a 2-2-2 seating configuration instead of a traditional seven-seat layout for the Model Y L. The design includes two individual seats in the middle row to provide easier access to the third row and additional passenger space.
Tesla Australia and New Zealand has also stated that the Model Y L will be covered under the company’s updated warranty structure beginning in 2026.
Tesla has not yet announced pricing or official range figures for the Model Y L in Australia.
Tesla and xAI team up on massive new project
Tesla China posts strong February wholesale growth at Gigafactory Shanghai
