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Stellantis CEO: “Bloodbath” coming if EV makers follow Tesla and Musk in “race to the bottom”

(Credit: Stellantis)

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Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has warned that a “bloodbath” is coming if EV makers follow Tesla and Elon Musk in a “race to the bottom.” The Stellantis CEO’s comments came amidst Ford’s announcement that it was scaling back production and trimming its workforce that is producing the F-150 Lightning. 

While BYD exceeded Tesla in raw battery electric vehicle deliveries at the end of 2023, the American EV maker is still one of the world’s undisputed leaders in the electric vehicle sector. To keep Tesla’s vehicles competitive, the automaker has implemented aggressive strategies such as steep price cuts to make its vehicles more affordable to mainstream consumers. 

Such strategies helped Tesla achieve a record year in deliveries, but it also sacrificed profitability. Tesla’s automotive gross margin without regulatory credits in Q3 2023, for one, fell to 16.3% from 27.9% in Q3 2022, as noted in a Fortune report. Elon Musk, for his part, has stated that Tesla would likely need to keep lowering its prices to ensure that customers could afford its vehicles.

As per Tavares during an event in Amsterdam on Friday, he is trying to avoid chasing Elon Musk as he drives Tesla’s prices lower and lower. “If you go and cut pricing disregarding the reality of your costs, you will have a bloodbath. I am trying to avoid a race to the bottom,” the Stellantis CEO said. 

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“I know a company that has brutally cut pricing, and their profitability has brutally collapsed,” Tavares also noted without naming Tesla. 

The EV efforts of America’s biggest auto players have taken notable hits. Ford has stated that its electric vehicle business lost about $4.5 billion last year, as noted in a Yahoo Finance report. General Motors (GM) also pulled back on its electric vehicle plans in late October despite stating in the past that it has every intention to dethrone Tesla in the electric vehicle market. 

Tesla’s price cuts have not ended. Just recently, Tesla lowered the prices of the Model Y crossover in several European countries by over $5,000. Similar price adjustments have also been rolled out in China, one of Tesla’s largest and most competitive markets.  

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk highlights one of Tesla FSD Supervised’s most underrated features

In his post on X, Musk wrote, “Tesla self-driving now recognizes hand signals.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is able to recognize and respond to hand signals, as highlighted recently by CEO Elon Musk.

In his post on X, Musk wrote, “Tesla self-driving now recognizes hand signals.”

Musk shared the update in a quote reply to a video posted by Tesla Europe, which showed a vehicle operating with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) navigating a tight lane in the Netherlands while responding to hand gestures from a person directing traffic.

Hand signal recognition is an important capability for advanced driver-assistance and autonomous systems. In real-world driving, pedestrians, construction workers, parking attendants, and other drivers frequently use hand gestures to direct traffic, yield right of way, or indicate when it is safe to proceed. For a self-driving system operating in mixed environments, interpreting these non-verbal cues is critical.

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Musk’s post comes as Tesla owners have surpassed 8 billion cumulative miles driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged. “Tesla owners have now driven >8 billion miles on FSD Supervised,” the company wrote in a post on X.

Annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased sharply over the past five years. Roughly 6 million miles were logged in 2021, followed by 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. 

In the first 50 days of 2026 alone, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles. At the current pace, the fleet is trending toward approximately 10 billion FSD (Supervised) miles this year.

Tesla’s latest North America safety data, covering all road types over a 12-month period, also indicates that vehicles operating with FSD (Supervised) were recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. By comparison, the U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.

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Tesla hiring for Commercial Charging role hints at Semi push in Europe

The job opening was highlighted by David Forer, Senior Project Developer for Charging at Tesla, on LinkedIn.

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Credit: @HinrichsZane/X

Tesla appears to be expanding its Commercial Charging efforts in Central Europe. The job opening was highlighted by David Forer, Senior Project Developer for Charging at Tesla, on LinkedIn.

In a post on LinkedIn, Forer stated that Tesla is looking for a “high-energy executer to own Commercial Charging Sales in Central Europe.” He added that the role will involve closing commercial deals across Tesla’s “entire product range (Supercharging & Megacharging).”

The job listing specifies that the hire will lead the sale of Tesla’s high-power charging products, including Supercharger and Heavy Duty Charging, to major partners such as charge point operators, real estate owners, and retail companies. The role requires fluency in German and English and is based onsite in Munich.

Tesla already operates more than 75,000 Superchargers globally, though the Semi’s Megacharger network is still in its early stages. The inclusion of Heavy Duty Charging in the job description is notable, then, as it aligns with Tesla’s Megacharger infrastructure, which is designed to support the Tesla Semi.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed that the Tesla Semi is moving into high-volume production this 2026. In a post on X, Musk noted that “Tesla Semi starts high volume production this year.”

Aerial footage of the Tesla Semi Factory near Giga Nevada also shows that the facility looks nearly complete, with work now underway inside the facility. 

Tesla has also refreshed the Semi lineup on its official website, listing two variants: Standard and Long Range. The Standard trim offers up to 325 miles of range with an energy consumption rating of 1.7 kWh per mile, while the Long Range version provides up to 500 miles. 

Both variants support fast charging and can recover up to 60% of range in 30 minutes using compatible infrastructure such as the Megacharger Network.

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The presence of Heavy Duty Charging in a Central Europe-focused sales role could indicate that Tesla is preparing charging infrastructure ahead of wider Semi deployment in the region. While Tesla has not formally announced a European launch timeline for the Semi, the vehicle, particularly its range, makes it an ideal fit for the area.

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Elon Musk

Tesla Full Self-Driving set to get an awesome new feature, Elon Musk says

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Credit: Teslarati

Tesla Full Self-Driving is set to get an awesome new feature in the near future, CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X.

Full Self-Driving is the company’s semi-autonomous driving program, which is among the best available to the general public. It still relies on the driver to ultimately remain in control and pay attention, but it truly does make traveling less stressful and easier.

However, Tesla still continuously refines the software through Over-the-Air updates, which are meant to resolve shortcomings in the performance of the FSD suite. Generally, Tesla does a great job of this, but some updates are definitely regressions, at least with some of the features.

Tesla Cybertruck owner credits FSD for saving life after freeway medical emergency

Tesla and Musk are always trying to improve the suite’s performance by fixing features that are presently available, but they also try to add new things that would be beneficial to owners. One of those things, which is coming soon, is giving the driver the ability to prompt FSD with voice demands.

For example, asking the car to park close to the front door of your destination, or further away in an empty portion of the parking lot, would be an extremely beneficial feature. Adjusting navigation is possible through Grok integration, but it is not always effective.

Musk confirmed that voice prompts for FSD would be possible:

Tesla Full Self-Driving is a really great thing, but it definitely has its shortcomings. Navigation is among the biggest complaints that owners have, and it is easily my biggest frustration with using it. Some of the routes it chooses to take are truly mind-boggling.

Another thing it has had issues with is being situated in the correct lane at confusing intersections or even managing to properly navigate through local traffic signs. For example, in Pennsylvania, there are a lot of stop signs with “Except Right Turn” signs directly under.

This gives those turning right at a stop sign the opportunity to travel through it. FSD has had issues with this on several occasions.

Parking preferences would be highly beneficial and something that could be resolved with this voice prompt program. Grocery stores are full of carts not taken back by customers, and many people choose to park far away. Advising FSD of this preference would be a great advantage to owners.

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