News
Tesla China posts 2nd highest record in December with 94,139 wholesale units
Tesla China had a very busy and successful December 2023, with data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) revealing that the electric vehicle maker sold 94,139 Giga Shanghai-made vehicles during the fourth quarter’s final month. December 2023’s results represent Tesla China’s second-highest record, just behind November 2022’s 100,291 units.
Tesla China’s December 2023 results represent a 68.72% year-over-year and 14.2% month-over-month sales improvement. Overall, sales of Giga Shanghai-made vehicles reached 248,686 units in Q4 2023. That’s a 9.17% bump year-over-year and an 11.76% jump from the third quarter, as tracked by industry watchers such as CNEV Post.
$TSLA ??
Big News: Tesla China delivered 94,139 vehicles in Dec.
– Through this, 2023 wholesale will be 947,742.
– Dec Retail sold more than 72,141 units, which sold more than 600,000 units in China's domestic market alone.
– Tesla China's performance is huge. It will deliver… pic.twitter.com/uyxgtIugmq— Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) January 3, 2024
Tesla released its Q4 and FY 2023 vehicle production and delivery report yesterday, and it revealed that the company delivered a total of 484,507 vehicles globally during the fourth quarter. Considering Tesla China’s Q4 sales of 248,686 vehicles, it would appear that Giga Shanghai accounted for 51.33% of the company’s deliveries in the quarter. During Q3 2023, this number was 51.15%.
Overall, Tesla China sold a total of 947,742 Giga Shanghai-made vehicles during the year, which is 52.4% of Tesla’s 1,808,581 global deliveries in 2023. And while a good portion of these vehicles were exported to foreign territories, it shows that Giga Shanghai is practically operating at capacity. In Tesla’s Q3 2023 Update Letter, Giga Shanghai was listed with an estimated annual capacity of over 950,000 vehicles.
$TSLA ??
Tesla China delivered 248,686 vehicles in Q4 2023.
That's its highest since the plant opened.
Applause for the crazy efficiency. @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/UTREVh2MUW— Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) January 3, 2024
Tesla China’s December and full year 2023 results suggest that Giga Shanghai is truly the electric vehicle maker’s largest factory by output, at least for now. This is quite impressive, especially considering the fact that Giga Shanghai only produces two vehicles today: the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover.
Both vehicles are Tesla’s mainstream cars that comprise the lion’s share of the company’s vehicle production and deliveries. As per Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2023 vehicle production and delivery report, the company delivered 461,538 Model 3 and Model Y in the fourth quarter. And out of the 1,808,581 vehicles that Tesla sold in 2023, 1,739,707 were Model 3 and Model Y.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
News
Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E
When ordering a new Ford Mustang Mach-E, you’ll now be hit with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
Ford is charging an additional fee for a basic EV feature on its Mustang Mach-E, its most popular electric vehicle offering.
Ford has shuttered its initial Model e program, but is venturing into a more controlled and refined effort, and it is abandoning the F-150 Lightning in favor of a new pickup that is currently under design, but appears to have some favorable features.
However, ordering a new Mustang Mach-E now comes with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
The frunk is the front trunk, and due to the lack of a large engine in the front of an electric vehicle, OEMs are able to offer additional storage space under the hood. There’s one problem, though, and that is that companies appear to be recognizing that they can remove it for free while offering the function for a fee.
Ford is now charging $495 on the Mustang Mach-E frunk (front trunk). What are your thoughts on that? pic.twitter.com/EOzZe3z9ZQ
— Alan of TesCalendar 📆⚡️ (@TesCalendar1) February 24, 2026
Ford is charging $495 for the frunk.
Interestingly, the frunk size varies by vehicle, but the Mustang Mach-E features a 4.7 to 4.8 cubic-foot-sized frunk, which measures approximately 9 inches deep, 26 inches wide, and 14 inches high.
When the vehicle was first released, Ford marketed the frunk as the ultimate tailgating feature, showing it off as a perfect place to store and serve cold shrimp cocktail.
Ford Mach-E frunk is perfect for chowders and chicken wings, and we’re not even joking
It appears the decision to charge for what is a simple advantage of an EV is not going over well, as even Ford loyal customers say the frunk is a “basic expectation” of an EV. Without it, it seems as if fans feel the company is nickel-and-diming its customers.
It will be pretty interesting to see the Mach-E without a frunk, and while it should not be enough to turn people away from potentially buying the vehicle, it seems the decision to add an additional charge to include one will definitely annoy some customers.
News
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.

