China is not a country of pickup trucks. China is the world’s largest automotive market, and in 2023, sales accelerated to a record 30.09 million units, approximately 512,000 of which were pickup trucks. This means that in 2023, pickup trucks accounted for just about 1.7% of the Chinese auto market.
Part of this is due to the fact that pickup trucks are classified as light trucks in China, so they face restrictions compared to passenger cars like the Model Y. Pickup trucks are required to drive on the rightmost “slow” lane on highways, and they are only allowed to travel up to 100 kph (62 mph). They are subjected to mandated scrapping after 15 years as well, and some Chinese cities impose limitations on pickups entering urban areas.
Join the crowd and feel the enthusiasm! ??? https://t.co/nnLQGjfill— Tesla Asia (@Tesla_Asia) January 29, 2024
One could then not be faulted for stating that the Tesla Cybertruck looks like a pretty bad fit for China. Pickup trucks are not popular at all in the country, and the Cybertruck is very expensive to begin with. With this in mind, it does seem that bringing the Cybertruck to China, where it is not even sold today, was an exercise in futility. But as per videos taken of the vehicle amidst the Cybertruck’s multi-city tour, it appears that bringing the all-electric pickup truck to China may very well have been worth it.
China is going crazy for the Cybertruck, Tesla absolutely needs to find a way to get through all regulations to sell it here, let alone even build it right there in the heart of Giga Shanghai bc it’s clear, they really want it @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/hyaoQEqnj9— Teslaconomics (@Teslaconomics) January 28, 2024
Videos posted on social media revealed that the Cybertruck has attracted large crowds of people. In Shanghai, long lines of people could be seen waiting for their chance to see the Cybertruck in person. The same is true for the Nanjing Xinjiekou Deji Plaza, where numerous people could be seen visiting the Cybertruck. Overall, the Cybertruck tour in China seems to be very successful, and the all-electric pickup truck has become an instant celebrity.
Cybertruck China Tour was really eventful on day 1 in all 8 locations across China. People are genuinely interested in this unique vehicle. There’s a market there for this type of recreational/adventure vehicle. Hopefully Tesla will be able to tweak it to comply with pedestrian… pic.twitter.com/xd7gCAE0gn— Ray (@ray4tesla) January 28, 2024
The reasons for this insane reaction could be a variety of things, though Tesla bulls such as Wall Street veteran and The Future Fund Managing Partner Gary Black have noted in the past that a vehicle like the Cybertruck will have a “halo effect” of sorts. The vehicle’s current reception in China, where the Cybertruck may not even be sold at all, suggests that this halo effect is very much present.
? Wow, how many people are excited about this new @Cybertruck toy in China? https://t.co/LjNqV36BbZ pic.twitter.com/tlnIqZUjQ7— Woodland?⚡️??☀️ (@Woodland_00) January 28, 2024
It remains to be seen if the Cybertruck would be a success or not. It continually attracts equal amounts of love and hate from consumers, especially in the United States, which would likely be its primary market. One thing’s for sure, however. The public’s reaction and apparent support for the vehicle in China would be nowhere close if the Cybertruck were a conventional pickup truck that just happens to be electric.
8 Cybertruck display locations in China seen on Day 1. pic.twitter.com/PYE1eS98PX— Ray (@ray4tesla) January 28, 2024
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Elon Musk
Tesla is about to make parking in busy lots less stressful than ever
Tesla is about to make parking in busy parking lots at businesses and other points of interest less stressful than ever by allowing drivers more control over where they park and how, CEO Elon Musk confirmed on X.
Tesla has been working to improve the parking performance of vehicles utilizing the Full Self-Driving suite, but now it is looking to add more customization, allowing drivers to choose the specific space they park in, but also potentially the orientation the car pulls into the spot:
It’s coming soon
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2026
Musk has reiterated on X twice over the past several weeks that Tesla is working to make things with the FSD suite based more on the driver’s specific preferences and behaviors that were seen in past drives.
Essentially, it sounds like if you tend to park away from a business to avoid other vehicles, Tesla FSD will soon recognize that preference of yours and start parking further away as well. Additionally, the prospect of assigned parking spaces has been something many owners have voiced concerns about.
Living in a community with assigned parking spaces makes using FSD incredibly difficult as it will rarely park in the correct spot when there are so many to choose from. This is also pertinent in work settings where there are sometimes assigned parking spaces.
The updates to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite in terms of listening to driver preferences with parking are also extending to routing. Tesla announced yesterday that with the release of its 2026 Summer Update, it was adding Automatic Navigation and Preferred Routes:
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
Tesla has always maintained the idea that any human input is bad input, and that, ideally, Tesla Full Self-Driving will always make the right decision. Of course, this is all in theory, but the issue is that so many of Tesla’s interventions have come because it does something that is not necessarily wrong, but perhaps not what the driver would prefer.
Taking these preferences into account will help Tesla alleviate some of the potentially unnecessary interventions that drivers perform.
News
Tesla starts preparing for Optimus in its smartphone app
Tesla is starting to prepare for the launch of the Optimus robot in its smartphone app, new coding strings show. Elon Musk has referred to Optimus as what will be the greatest-selling product of any kind of all time, and now, Tesla is getting ready for its launch.
Tesla’s smartphone app had several first-time mentions of the Optimus program, according to Tesla App Updates, who intially reported on the appearance. Here’s what they found:
A Dedicated “Robot” Phone Key Authentication
Tesla is working on a Bluetooth Low Energy, or BLE, authentication that is specifically for robots. This does not only apply to Optimus, though, as Robotaxi, which is Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing platform, might also identify vehicles within the fleet as robots as well.
Tesla shows rapid teardown of Model S and X lines, paving the way for Optimus at Fremont
Essentially, pairing your phone as a key to anything Tesla identifies as a robot to a “whitelist” of authorized devices. Optimus, Robotaxi, or other products that fall into this category will only respond if the device trying to communicate with it is authorized.
This is a great security feature that will eliminate at least face-value and low-level threats.
Home Data Collection and System Alerts
This appears to be somewhat of a neural network for Optimus within your house. There will be a dedicated screen that asks for consent to collect both video and spatial data while Optimus performs in-home tasks. Everything from vacuuming, washing dishes, dusting, and other activities will be tracked.
There will also be a comprehensive alert system that will track everything from low battery to mechanical issues.
Other Changes
Most of the changes tracked in this particular app update are related to Tesla’s 2026 Summer Update, and include things such as image assets for new features, a preview of the new custom wraps feature, and other unique features.
You can check out our coverage on what is included with the 2026 Summer Update here:
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
Investor's Corner
Tesla Q2 Earnings: Here’s what to expect
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) will report its earnings for the second quarter of 2026 this evening after market close, and investors and analysts are waiting anxiously to see what the company will report for the second three-month span of the year.
Analysts have already put out their expectations from a financial standpoint for the company’s second quarter, but what’s unknown is what Tesla plans to discuss during the call.
Financial Expectations
Wall Street consensus expectations put Tesla’s Earnings Per Share (EPS) at $0.53, while revenues are expected to come in around $26.4 billion.
This would compare to an EPS of $0.39 and $22.19 billion compared to Tesla’s Q2 2025. Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.41 on $22.387 billion of revenue. Additionally in Q1, Tesla beat analyst expectations, but shares dropped over 3 percent the following trading day.
What We Expect
In terms of discussions, Tesla earnings are pretty sporadic and depend on a handful of things, including current events, investor questions, and more.
Tesla uses a platform called Say to field questions from investors and analysts. These questions are what will be used during the call. Here are the top 5 from the Retail side and top 3 from the Institutional side:
Retail:
“Tesla has missed short-term guidance on robotaxi 3 earnings reports in a row, from 50% coverage of USA by end of 2025 to most recently 7 new cities in 1H26. What is keeping Tesla back from accomplishing these short term goals that they’ve set for themselves?”
“What are the main constraints to expanding robotaxi operations faster, and how do you see that lining up with Cybercab production?”
“What’s the current status of Optimus Gen 3 production ramp, initial deployment in factories, and external sales timeline/volume for 2027? What tasks can we expect the Optimus to perform by end of 2027?”
“To reward long-term Tesla retail shareholders for their loyalty, can you commit to achieving at least half of the goals outlined in your 2025 compensation plan before considering any offers to acquire or merge Tesla?”
“Why has growth of robotaxi vehicles stalled? When will we see cybercab start customer rides?”
Institutional
“Previously, you’ve said Tesla would lead the R&D while SpaceX would lead production for Terafab. Can you provide an update on how that division of responsibilities is evolving, and any additional clarity on the expected capital contributions from Tesla and SpaceX?”
“For autonomous driving, Tesla’s fleet created a huge data advantage by collecting billions of real-world miles. That advantage doesn’t yet exist for Optimus. How should we think about data availability and its impact on Optimus development?”
“Why is it necessary to limit robotaxi operations within specific zones within cities to start? Will every city have to be rolled out this way?”
Tesla will report earnings for Q2 this evening with the Shareholder Deck at 4 p.m. ET, with the call starting around 5:30 p.m. ET.