It is the end of the quarter once more, and in true Tesla tradition, the electric car maker is conducting an end-of-quarter push to deliver as many vehicles to customers as possible. This time around, though, Tesla’s delivery blitz also happens to cover the 2018 holiday season. Thus, for some reservation holders, their new Teslas proved to be a very welcome and incredibly memorable Christmas gift.
Over the past week all the way to Christmas, Tesla owners, both new and old, came to social media to share their delivery experiences. In Twitter alone, several families posted images from the delivery of their Model 3, Model X, and Model S. Tesla’s official Twitter account even shared a number of these pictures, captioning the photographs with a simple description that read “Holiday deliveries!”
Overall, it appears that Tesla did not miss a beat in its delivery efforts despite the holiday season. Considering the stakes of the fourth quarter, though, such determination is understandable, particularly since the end of Q4 also marks the end of the $7,500 federal tax credit given to Tesla owners. The fourth quarter is also an opportunity for Tesla to prove Elon Musk’s words right. Musk, after all, has noted since Q3’s blockbuster earnings that Tesla would be cash-flow positive moving forward.
Holiday deliveries! 🎄🚘🎁 pic.twitter.com/92LB5Aithh
— Tesla (@Tesla) December 25, 2018
Special 🎅 Christmas 🎄 Delivery 📦 ⚡️😊 #TM3 #Tesla #Model3 @Tesla pic.twitter.com/n7rihVDjxZ
— Christophe HUBERT (@chris75sf) December 23, 2018
A key factor in Tesla’s success for the fourth quarter, of course, remains to be the Model 3. Being Tesla’s highest-volume vehicle to date, sales and deliveries of the Model 3 would likely determine Tesla’s performance in Q4. Fortunately for the electric car maker, its Model 3 strategy for the fourth quarter might very well work. The carmaker, for one, has reached a point where it could comfortably produce the electric sedan at scale, with Musk noting that a production rate of 5,000 Model 3 per week is no big deal for Tesla today. Apart from this, the addition of a new Model 3 variant could be a difference-maker in the number of vehicles the company can deliver this quarter.
While Tesla has relied on the Long Range RWD, Long Range AWD, and Performance Model 3 variants in the past, the company rolled out a new version of the electric sedan this fourth quarter. Dubbed as the Mid Range Model 3, the vehicle, which starts at $46,000 before incentives, brought the electric car within reach of more potential customers. Tesla has not revealed the number of Mid Range Model 3 that have been delivered so far, but factors such as VIN registrations point to the idea that the vehicle is likely being produced and sold in large quantities.
To prevent what Elon Musk described as “delivery logistics hell” during the third quarter, Tesla has reportedly gone the extra mile to ensure that cars ordered today would be delivered before the year closes. Musk, for one, noted in an announcement on Twitter that Tesla has acquired trucking capacity to facilitate deliveries. More recently, Musk also noted that Tesla would cover the tax credit difference if the company is not able to complete a committed delivery before the end of the month.
Apart from these programs, Tesla has also extended its long-running referral program until March 11. As could be seen in Tesla’s order pages today, electric car buyers could acquire an additional three months of free supercharging “if they order without ever having taken a test drive.”
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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.
Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
