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Tesla CEO Elon Musk explains strategy behind Full Self-Driving price drop

(Credit: Angel Wong/YouTube)

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained the strategy behind the Full Self-Driving price drop that occurred in late August.

Tesla dropped the price of the Full Self-Driving, or FSD, suite by $3,000 on August 31, making it $12,000. In the past, Musk has defended Tesla’s pricing strategy on FSD, claiming that, despite it being incomplete, the feature would be worth significantly more as it is aimed at being a money maker for early adopters when the Robotaxi fleet becomes active.

Tesla FSD gets price cut in the United States

Musk has said in the past it could be a way for Tesla owners to make tens of thousands of dollars, all while the owner of the vehicle sleeps comfortably in their bed.

But Tesla pushed prices downward in late August, and Musk did not offer an explanation on X, where most of his communications regarding the electric automaker are shared.

Instead, a retail investor asked on Say, the platform Tesla uses to determine which questions it will answer during the Earnings Call about the pricing change.

“The next question is, why was the price dropped on FSD if it is getting better and robotaxi is expected so soon?” Senior Director for Tesla’s Investor Relations, Martin Viecha, said.

Musk responded, “Well, we just wanted to make it more affordable as more people try it. Yes, I think, over time, the price of FSD will increase proportionate to its value. So, with regard [to] the current price as a kind of a temporary low.”

Tesla and Musk will likely hike the price back up soon. There are advantages and disadvantages for the company by doing this. The advantages are simple: more cars in the FSD Beta fleet means more data to be accumulated and used to strengthen the performance of the suite.

Tesla confirmed last night the Beta program had reached 500 million miles of data.

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Tesla FSD Beta program reaches half a billion cumulative miles

Disadvantages are equally as straight forward: Tesla flips a switch, and your car has FSD, as long as you pay the $12,000. The company sacrifices $3,000 per driver with the discount.

However, Tesla seemed ready to drop the price to get more people into the FSD Beta program, and although the discount was small, more people likely took advantage of the change. Tesla did not comment on any increase or decrease in take rate due to the FSD suite being discounted.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Elon Musk

Tesla Giga Texas to feature massive Optimus V4 production line

This suggests that while the first Optimus line will be set up in the Fremont Factory, the real ramp of Optimus’ production will happen in Giga Texas.

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Credit: Tesla/YouTube

Tesla will build Optimus 4 in Giga Texas, and its production line will be massive. This was, at least, as per recent comments by CEO Elon Musk on social media platform X.  

Optimus 4 production

In response to a post on X which expressed surprise that Optimus will be produced in California, Musk stated that “Optimus 4 will be built in Texas at much higher volume.” This suggests that while the first Optimus line will be set up in the Fremont Factory, and while the line itself will be capable of producing 1 million humanoid robots per year, the real ramp of Optimus’ production will happen in Giga Texas. 

This was not the first time that Elon Musk shared his plans for Optimus’ production at Gigafactory Texas. During the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, he stated that Giga Texas’ Optimus line will produce 10 million units of the humanoid robot per year. He did not, however, state at the time that Giga Texas would produce Optimus V4. 

“So we’re going to launch on the fastest production ramp of any product of any large complex manufactured product ever, starting with building a one-million-unit production line in Fremont. And that’s Line one. And then a ten million unit per year production line here,” Musk stated. 

How big Optimus could become

During Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call, Musk offered additional context on the potential of Optimus. While he stated that the ramp of Optimus’ production will be deliberate at first, the humanoid robot itself will have the potential to change the world. 

“Optimus really will be a general-purpose robot that can learn by observing human behavior. You can demonstrate a task or verbally describe a task or show it a task. Even show it a video, it will be able to do that task. It’s going to be a very capable robot. I think long-term Optimus will have a very significant impact on the US GDP. 

“It will actually move the needle on US GDP significantly. In conclusion, there are still many who doubt our ambitions for creating amazing abundance. We are confident it can be done, and we are making the right moves technologically to ensure that it does. Tesla, Inc. has never been a company to shy away from solving the hardest problems,” Musk stated. 

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Elon Musk

Rumored SpaceX-xAI merger gets apparent confirmation from Elon Musk

The comment follows reports that the rocket maker is weighing a transaction that could further consolidate Musk’s space and AI ventures.

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Credit: xAI

Elon Musk appeared to confirm reports that SpaceX is exploring a potential merger with artificial intelligence startup xAI by responding positively to a post about the reported transaction on X.

Musk’s comment follows reports that the rocket maker is weighing a transaction that could further consolidate his space and AI ventures.

SpaceX xAI merger

As per a recent Reuters report, SpaceX has held discussions about merging with xAI, with the proposed structure potentially involving an exchange of xAI shares for SpaceX stock. The value, structure, and timing of any deal have not been finalized, and no agreement has been signed.

Musk appeared to acknowledge the report in a brief reply on X, responding “Yeah” to a post that described SpaceX as a future “Dyson Swarm company.” The comment references a Dyson Swarm, a sci-fi megastructure concept that consists of a massive network of satellites or structures that orbit a celestial body to harness its energy. 

Reuters noted that two entities were formed in Nevada on January 21 to facilitate a potential transaction for the possible SpaceX-xAI merger. The discussions remain ongoing, and a transaction is not yet guaranteed, however.

AI and space infrastructure

A potential merger with xAI would align with Musk’s stated strategy of integrating artificial intelligence development with space-based systems. Musk has previously said that space-based infrastructure could support large-scale computing by leveraging continuous solar energy, an approach he has framed as economically scalable over time.

xAI already has operational ties to Musk’s other companies. The startup develops Grok, a large language model that holds a U.S. Department of Defense contract valued at up to $200 million. AI also plays a central role in SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield satellite programs, which rely on automation and machine learning for network management and national security applications.

Musk has previously consolidated his businesses through share-based transactions, including Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity in 2016 and xAI’s acquisition of X last year. Bloomberg has also claimed that Musk is considering a merger between SpaceX and Tesla in the future. 

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Cybertruck

Tesla analyst claims another vehicle, not Model S and X, should be discontinued

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla analyst Gary Black of The Future Fund claims that the company is making a big mistake getting rid of the Model S and Model X. Instead, he believes another vehicle within the company’s lineup should be discontinued: the Cybertruck.

Black divested The Future Fund from all Tesla holdings last year, but he still covers the stock as an analyst as it falls in the technology and autonomy sectors, which he covers.

In a new comment on Thursday, Black said the Cybertruck should be the vehicle Tesla gets rid of due to the negatives it has drawn to the company.

The Cybertruck is also selling in an underwhelming fashion considering the production capacity Tesla has set aside for it. It’s worth noting it is still the best-selling electric pickup on the market, and it has outlasted other EV truck projects as other manufacturers are receding their efforts.

Black said:

IMHO it’s a mistake to keep Tesla Cybertruck which has negative brand equity and sold 10,000 units last year, and discontinue S/X which have strong repeat brand loyalty and together sold 30K units and are highly profitable. Why not discontinue CT and covert S/X to be fully autonomous?”

On Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla planned to transition Model S and Model X production lines at the Fremont Factory to handle manufacturing efforts of the Optimus Gen 3 robot.

Musk said that it was time to wind down the S and X programs “with an honorable discharge,” also noting that the two cars are not major contributors to Tesla’s mission any longer, as its automotive division is more focused on autonomy, which will be handled by Model 3, Model Y, and Cybercab.

Tesla begins Cybertruck deliveries in a new region for the first time

The news has drawn conflicting perspectives, with many Tesla fans upset about the decision, especially as it ends the production of the largest car in the company’s lineup. Tesla’s focus is on smaller ride-sharing vehicles, especially as the vast majority of rides consist of two or fewer passengers.

The S and X do not fit in these plans.

Nevertheless, the Cybertruck fits in Tesla’s future plans. Musk said the pickup will be needed for the transportation of local goods. Musk also said Cybertruck would be transitioned to an autonomous line.

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