News
Tesla China registrations hit 16,200 vehicles, highest in Q3 2024 so far
The third quarter of 2024 is shaping up to be strong for Tesla China, with the electric vehicle maker seeing an estimated 16,200 new vehicle registrations in the week of September 2-8. This represents a 12.5% improvement over the 14,400 registrations that were tracked in the week ending September 1.
Tesla does not share its weekly sales figures, though a general idea of the company’s overall performance in China’s local automotive sector could be inferred through the number of new vehicle registrations that are filed every week. Fortunately, these registrations are tracked closely by industry watchers. Even automakers such as Li Auto have taken it upon themselves to share weekly registration data on Chinese social media.
$TSLA ? Tesla china rocks! pic.twitter.com/i5lOVDW1Ny— Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) September 10, 2024
And based on Li Auto’s recent data, Tesla China saw 16,200 new registrations in the week ending September 8. These results represent the highest 10th week of a quarter for Tesla China ever and Q3 2024’s strongest week to date. Interestingly enough, these results also indicate that Tesla China’s 2024 registrations have finally surpassed 2023’s figures.
For the week of September 2-8, China reported 16.2k insurance registrations for Tesla. ??
The quarter is +25.2% QoQ, +15.5% YoY and +7.6% vs. 23Q4 the best quarter after 10 weeks. YTD is at +0.2% YoY. Highest 10th week of the quarter ever. Highest week of the quarter. pic.twitter.com/AMUVJYDA5B— Roland Pircher (@piloly) September 10, 2024
TSLA bull and Wall Street veteran Gary Black noted in a post on X that Tesla China’s registrations last week represent the third highest weekly registrations for the electric vehicle maker this year so far. Provided that Tesla maintains its current momentum, Q3 2024 could very well become the electric vehicle maker’s best quarter ever in China.
$TSLA China posted a very strong 16.2K insured registrations for the week of Sept 2-8. This was TSLA China’s 3rd highest weekly registrations this year. With 3 weeks left in the quarter, TSLA China 3Q registrations are on track for their best quarter ever, and are +15% YoY and… pic.twitter.com/1YSjOoybqx— Gary Black (@garyblack00) September 10, 2024
Data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) indicates that Tesla China sold 86,697 vehicles in August, including 23,241 that were exported to foreign territories. This means that Tesla sold 63,456 vehicles in the domestic Chinese automotive market last month. Estimates from CNEV Post also suggest that from January to August, Tesla China sold about 388,000 vehicles in the Chinese domestic market.
These results are quite impressive considering that Tesla China’s sales are driven by just two models—the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover. And while the Model 3 saw a notable redesign last year, the Model Y remains largely unchanged from its first iteration, which was launched in China in 2021.
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News
Tesla looks to upgrade Matrix Headlights with new features
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.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.

