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Tesla discontinues glossy Model X seat backs for matte finish

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Love it or hate it, Tesla has discontinued the glossy seat backs found on the Model X as of this month. The hard plastic seat back was, depending on who you asked, the perfect complement to an already flashy vehicle, or the worst decision Tesla could have made for a vehicle intended for families with small children.

The issue at hand with the original black glossy seat back, for many families with kids and those with an active lifestyle, is that it was prone to scratching and virtually impossible to keep fingerprints from gravitating towards it. Yinn from the Tesla Motors Club forum puts it best when describing the differences between the old glossy-back seats versus the newest matte black seat backs.

Matte vs Gloss:
We have the Matte in our S, and the Gloss in our X, so I feel like I can give a good summary and comparison.

– Our matte is scratched up severely and shows the grooves and looks horrendous.
– Our matte feels less fragile and more durable, resulting in us treating them with less care – most likely resulting in the above.
– The matte backs feel less slippery with no noticeable effect on….anything.

– Our gloss has fingerprints and footprints all over it and looks horrendous.
– Our gloss feels more fragile and less durable, resulting in us treating them with the utmost care to prevent scratching – most likely resulting in the lack of scratches.
– The gloss backs feel more slippery with no noticeable effect on…..anything.

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My wife prefers the matte backs and dislikes the gloss backs. This may be due to our S having the glossy dark ash wood trim and it would just be a lot of shiny surfaces.

I’m the reverse, I think the gloss backs add a nice touch to the car and it feels more luxurious. This may also be because our X has the matte obeche wood that soften and warms the car a little bit, so the extra gloss doesn’t seem as hard/cold.

In summary – they don’t matter. It’s a thing you can dive into while waiting for your car, but it won’t really change your experience. I suppose to some this may matter, but to me it’s very much a <shrug>
#firstworldproblems

Yinn couldn’t have described it better. In the end, the seat back material is a personal preference and determined by the Model X owner’s lifestyle as it relates to use of the vehicle. Here’s a side by side comparison of the previous glossy Model X seats and the newest matte black seats. It’s worth noting that owners have reported that matte seat backs appear “cheap looking” from photos but in reality have a finer quality, to the touch.

What’s your preference? Discuss it with the community in our Model X forum.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla (TSLA) Q1 2025 earnings: What to expect

Tesla stock reached as high as $488.54 per share in 2024, though it is trading at around $240 per share as of writing.

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is expected to release its first quarter 2025 results after markets close today, April 22, 2025.

At 4:30 p.m. Central Time / 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, executives such as CEO Elon Musk will also be holding a Company Update and the Q1 2025 earnings call.

Tesla Q1 Deliveries and Production

Tesla missed estimates in the first quarter, with the company delivering a total of 336,681 vehicles worldwide. A total of 362,615 vehicles were also produced during this period.

While the delivery results of Tesla’s electric vehicle business were subpar in Q1 2025, the company’s energy division exhibited strong performance during the quarter, deploying a total of 10.4 GWh worth of energy storage products.

Earnings Estimates

As noted in a Forbes report, expectations are high that Tesla will report a gain of $0.35/share on $21.85 billion in revenue. Whisper numbers, however, reportedly suggest that the electric vehicle maker will only post a gain of $0.31 per share.

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Analysts polled by the FactSet, however, expect Tesla to see an EPS of $0.41 per share on revenues of $21.27 billion, as noted in an Investors’ Business Daily report.

Tesla Stock So Far

Tesla stock reached as high as $488.54 per share in 2024, though it is trading at around $240 per share as of writing. Tesla stock has been naturally volatile, however, so it is prone to notable moves depending on its Q1 earnings.

If the numbers are good, Tesla stock could easily gap up, but if they are disappointing, it would not be surprising if TSLA shares gap down.

FSD, New Vehicle Updates

Tesla is expected to launch a dedicated robotaxi service this June in Austin, Texas. The company has also been hinting at more affordable models that will be launched in the first half of 2025. Expectations are high that CEO Elon Musk will share some updates on these projects, particularly the rollout of Tesla’s FSD Unsupervised system.

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Rivian Boosts AI Strategy with Cohere CEO’s Board Appointment

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(Credit: Rivian)

Rivian has strengthened its AI strategy by appointing Aidan Gomez, co-founder and CEO of generative AI startup Cohere, to its board. Gomez’s appointment was announced through a regulatory filing. The move underscores Rivian’s ambition to lead in automotive software and AI-driven autonomy.

Gomez is a data scientist and AI expert. He launched Cohere in 2019, focusing on AI foundation models for enterprises like Oracle and Notion. Gomez will be on Rivian’s board until 2026. His appointment expands Rivian’s board and aligns with the company’s $5.8 billion joint venture with Volkswagen Group to develop software. The venture leverages Rivian’s electrical architecture expertise, licensing intellectual property, and may sell tech to other firms in the future.

Gomez’s expertise is a strategic fit, with CEO RJ Scaringe stating the AI expert’s “thinking and expertise will support Rivian as we integrate new, cutting-edge technologies into our products, services, and manufacturing.”

Rivian’s AI efforts include an AI assistant for its EVs, which has been under development since 2023, according to the automaker’s Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid.

“The AI work, which is specifically on the orchestration layer or framework for an AI assistant, sits outside the joint venture with VW,” Bensaid told TechCrunch.

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Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas sees Rivian’s value in its AI and autonomy potential, not just its EVs. “We see scope for Rivian to play a more important role in AI-enabled autonomy with potential milestones in 1H25,” Jonas said, highlighting the upcoming period as “consequential to determining Rivian’s place in the autonomous vehicle race.”

Jonas believes Rivian stands out as a non-Tesla, U.S.-based “software-defined” company with a fully integrated, AI-driven autonomous platform fueled by advances in generative AI and large language models.

Gomez’s board role positions Rivian to capitalize on AI innovations, enhancing its software leadership and autonomous vehicle development. As the EV maker navigates its Volkswagen partnership and internal AI projects, Gomez’s expertise could drive breakthroughs, reinforcing Rivian’s dual identity as an EV manufacturer and a tech innovator in a competitive landscape.

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Tesla Model Y gets five-year, zero-interest financing deal in China

The program was announced by the electric vehicle maker through its official Weibo account.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has launched a five-year, zero-interest financing deal for the new Model Y in China. 

The program was announced by the electric vehicle maker through its official Weibo account.

Model Y Financing Program Details

The new five-year, zero-interest financing deal is available through June 30, and it applies to all Model Y variants, the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and long-range all-wheel-drive (AWD), which start at 263,500 yuan ($36,300) and 313,500 yuan ($42,950), respectively. Buyers can qualify for the program by paying a down payment of as low as 79,900 yuan ($10,950), with monthly payments starting at 3,060 yuan ($420).

It should be noted that prior to the recently announced program, Tesla China had offered a three-year, zero-interest financing deal for the new Model Y RWD and AWD.

New Model Y Sales So Far

Tesla’s new five-year, zero-interest financing program comes amidst heightened competition in China’s electric vehicle sector. For context, the company sold 74,127 vehicles domestically in March, up 18.8% year-over-year, as noted in a CNEV Post report. From this number, the Model Y accounted for 48,189 deliveries.

During the week of April 14-20, Tesla China also saw 6,800 new vehicle registrations, suggesting that Giga Shanghai is focusing on exports this month.

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Other Updates And Incentives

Tesla China also extended an 8,000-yuan insurance subsidy for the Model 3 through April 30. A five-year, zero-interest financing program was launched for the all-electric sedan as well. To qualify, buyers would have to pay a down payment of as low as 79,900 yuan ($10,950), with monthly payments starting at 2,460 yuan ($340). 

A new Star Diamond Black paint option for both the Model Y and Model 3 was also announced. Delivery times remain steady as well, with the Model Y RWD seeing a 2-4 week wait time and the Model Y Long Range AWD seeing a 3-5 week wait time. The Model 3 is listed with a 1-3 week wait time for all its variants.

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