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Tesla China’s vehicle registrations see impressive 150% spike in May
Tesla’s vehicle registrations in China grew 150% to 11,565 in May from 4,633 in April. The electric automaker’s surge in sales of the Made in China Model 3 during May heavily contributed to the rise in registrations, along with imports of Tesla’s Model S and Model X.
The data comes from LMC Automotive, an auto consultancy, which noted that Tesla’s increase in vehicle registrations in May was significant, Reuters said. The organization stated that imports were included in the figure; the Model S and Model X are not currently built in China at Tesla’s Giga Shanghai production plant.
It was reported earlier this month that the Tesla Model 3 regained its title as the most popular electric car in China, which is the world’s largest automotive market. Tesla sold 11,095 Model 3s in May, taking the title from the BYD Qin Pro all-electric sedan.
Currently, Giga Shanghai is operating at a run rate of about 4,000 vehicles per week, all of which are Model 3. Tesla has worked diligently since early 2020 to begin ramping the production rate of the vehicle, along with introducing new configurations of the affordable sedan.
In April, Tesla sold only 3,636 Model 3s. While this number is considerably low, the electric automaker may have expected the drop in sales.
During the Q1 2020 Earnings Call, CEO Elon Musk announced that the Model 3 Standard Range+ variant that is produced at Giga Shanghai would be receiving a price drop to qualify for government incentives.
“We are making rapid progress on lowering the production cost in China, and we’re actually excited to announce on this call that we will be reducing the price of the Standard Range Model 3 basically tomorrow, China time,” Musk said during the call.
The price drop, however, would not take place until May 1 and would save buyers around ¥30,o00, or $4,243. After incentives and the 10% discount of the vehicle itself, the price stood at ¥271,550 ($38,409).
Speculations indicate that the drop in price convinced prospective buyers of the Tesla Model 3 to wait until May to purchase the vehicle.
Tesla had decided to lower the Model 3’s price after the Chinese government announced that electric vehicle subsidies would be extended for two years. After realizing the future of electric cars had been injected with additional momentum thanks to the subsidy extension, Tesla appears to have realized that it must adapt and take advantage of the government’s support.
While the Model 3 is the only currently built vehicle at the Giga Shanghai complex, construction crews in Shanghai are currently working on Phase 2A, where the Model Y will be built. Tesla expects to begin deliveries of the all-electric crossover in China in 2021.
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Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has publicly expressed solidarity with Swedish union IF Metall as its strike against Tesla continues, adding international attention to the extended labor dispute in the European country.
UAW supports IF Metall’s strike
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith stated that the union fully supports IF Metall’s efforts to secure a collective bargaining agreement with the automaker.
“UAW stands with IF Metall workers on strike against Tesla, fighting for a collective bargaining agreement. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith pledged the UAW’s full support and solidarity,” the UAW International Union stated in its post.
IF Metall launched its strike against Tesla Sweden in late 2023 over the electric car maker’s refusal to sign a collective agreement. The action has since been supported by other unions through sympathy strikes affecting ports, logistics, and service operations.
Tesla Sweden has maintained that it complies with Swedish labor laws and offers competitive pay and benefits, though the company has not publicly commented on the UAW’s latest show of support.
Tesla owners get union attention
Pro-union groups in Sweden have recently expanded their outreach beyond Tesla’s facilities and workforce. Activists have begun distributing informational leaflets against the EV maker directly on Tesla vehicles parked across Stockholm, as per a report from Swedish outlet Dagens Arbete.
The yellow slips, designed to resemble parking notices, urge regular Tesla owners to pressure the company into signing a collective agreement. Organizers involved in the effort have argued that the leaflets are intended to simply inform consumers rather than single out individual owners. When owners are present, however, activists stated that they explain the dispute verbally.
Tesla has not issued a public response regarding the leaflet distribution campaign as of writing.
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Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
SpaceX aired its first-ever Super Bowl commercial on Sunday, marking a rare move into mass-market advertising as it seeks to broaden adoption of its Starlink satellite internet service.
Starlink Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
The advertisement highlighted Starlink’s global coverage and emphasized simplified customer onboarding, stating that users can sign up for service in minutes through the company’s website or by phone in the United States.
The campaign comes as SpaceX accelerates Starlink’s commercial expansion. The satellite internet service grew its global user base in 2025 to over 9 million subscribers and entered several dozen additional markets, as per company statements.
Starlink growth and momentum
Starlink has seen notable success in numerous regions across the globe. Brazil, in particular, has become one of Starlink’s largest growth regions, recently surpassing one million users, as per Ookla data. The company has also expanded beyond residential broadband into aviation connectivity and its emerging direct-to-cellular service.
Starlink has recently offered aggressive promotions in select regions, including discounted or free hardware, waived installation fees, and reduced monthly pricing. Some regions even include free Starlink Mini for select subscribers. In parallel, SpaceX has introduced AI-driven tools to streamline customer sign-ups and service selection.
The Super Bowl appearance hints at a notable shift for Starlink, which previously relied largely on organic growth and enterprise contracts. The ad suggests SpaceX is positioning Starlink as a mainstream alternative to traditional broadband providers.
Tesla engineers deflected calls from Apple on a daily basis while the tech giant was developing its now-defunct electric vehicle program, which was known as “Project Titan.”
Back in 2022 and 2023, Apple was developing an EV in a top-secret internal fashion, hoping to launch it by 2028 with a fully autonomous driving suite.
However, Apple bailed on the project in early 2024, as Project Titan abandoned the project in an email to over 2,000 employees. The company had backtracked its expectations for the vehicle on several occasions, initially hoping to launch it with no human driving controls and only with an autonomous driving suite.
Apple canceling its EV has drawn a wide array of reactions across tech
It then planned for a 2028 launch with “limited autonomous driving.” But it seemed to be a bit of a concession at that point; Apple was not prepared to take on industry giants like Tesla.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives noted in a communication to investors that, “The writing was on the wall for Apple with a much different EV landscape forming that would have made this an uphill battle. Most of these Project Titan engineers are now all focused on AI at Apple, which is the right move.”
Apple did all it could to develop a competitive EV that would attract car buyers, including attempting to poach top talent from Tesla.
In a new podcast interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it was revealed that Apple had been calling Tesla engineers nonstop during its development of the now-defunct project. Musk said the engineers “just unplugged their phones.”
Musk said in full:
“They were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls. Engineers just unplugged their phones. Their opening offer without any interview would be double the compensation at Tesla.”
Interestingly, Apple had acquired some ex-Tesla employees for its project, like Senior Director of Engineering Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, who eventually left for Archer Aviation.
Tesla took no legal action against Apple for attempting to poach its employees, as it has with other companies. It came after EV rival Rivian in mid-2020, after stating an “alarming pattern” of poaching employees was noticed.
SpaceX strengthens manufacturing base with Hexagon Purus aerospace deal
Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
