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Tesla’s Elon Musk trades compliments with Volkswagen CEO at Auto Award show
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Volkswagen Auto Group CEO Herbert Diess answered questions jointly regarding the future of electric vehicles in Germany during the 2019 Golden Steering Wheel Awards in Berlin. The two CEOs gave each other numerous words of wisdom as they both work toward a future involving sustainable transportation.
Musk flew to Berlin on November 12 to accept a prestigious Golden Steering Wheel Award won by the Tesla Model 3. This award comes on the heels of Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot receiving top honors from Germany’s Connected Cars Innovation. After accepting the award for the company’s most affordable sedan, Musk was joined by Volkswagen’s Herbert Diess on stage, where both CEOs were asked about if they were inspired by one another. “First of all, I really wanted to congratulate you, great achievement, I know all of this competition here in Germany, this award, its a great achievement. We know each other, we don’t meet so often though. I would say that we share a vision, which is that we only can achieve the CO2 targets and reduce carbon emissions through electric cars,” Diess said.
An interesting quote from Diess, as the Volkswagen CEO was under fire for the company’s “Dieselgate” emissions scandal where the German automaker was caught placing emissions cheat devices in its vehicles. Although Diess joined VW after the scandal began, he was under intense scrutiny from some German government agencies for stock manipulation. Since the beginning of the Dieselgate scandal, Volkswagen has paid around $33 billion in penalties. The company is attempting to put the scandal behind them and move onto battery-powered cars. Diess announced the Volkswagen ID.3 electric-car on September 9, the company’s first attempt at a non-gasoline powered vehicle.
Despite the allegations against Diess, he has received kind words from Musk, who stated on Twitter “Herbert Diess is doing more than any big carmaker to go electric. The good of the world should come first. For what it’s worth, he has my support.” Musk offered his two cents following the announcement that VW would begin producing its own lithium-ion batteries in an attempt to transition to the mass-production of electric vehicles in the future.
Musk was then asked why Germany was so far behind on the electric vehicle revolution. “Well, first of all, I don’t think Germany is that far behind. But I always think it’s difficult when, you know, there’s a lot of momentum around in all technology. There is a lot of infrastructure, a lot of capital and that kind of thing that is tied up in all the technology,” Musk said. “When you have new technology, the market is unproven. So then, you say ‘Does it really make sense to place a bet on this technology that is unproven?’ And when we started out at Tesla, everyone thought we were huge fools. I thought we were fools too, frankly. But I thought it was important to get to ultimately a sustainable energy future,” he added.
Diess and Musk were sure to trade compliments during the question and answer session, noting the motivation they give each other toward the mission of creating environmentally-friendly and sustainable transportation. “I thank you for pioneering, for pulling us, for pushing us. I think really Elon is the innovator, which is driving us along. So it’s worthwhile to talk about batteries and the right concepts, and I always enjoy talking to you because, he’s really a visionary,” Diess said about the Tesla CEO.
Elon Musk has always said that Tesla’s competitors are not those companies who are also making electric cars, but the companies working toward keeping petrol-based vehicles as the primary source of transportation in the world. Musk and Diess working together toward the ultimate goal of sustainability shows the future of electric cars depends on working together and recognizing the only way to achieve the goal of environmental-sustainability and longevity is to develop the technology together. With Volkswagen ultimately deciding to invest $33 billion into the future of electric vehicles, the German-based company evidently wants to put their emissions scandal behind them, and it seems they have support from the frontman of the electric vehicle movement.
You can watch the entire Golden Steering Wheel Awards ceremony below:
Elon Musk
GM CEO Mary Barra says she told Biden to give Tesla and Musk EV credit
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla…You know me, Andrew. I don’t want to take credit for things.”
General Motors CEO Mary Barra said in a new interview on Wednesday that she told President Joe Biden to credit Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, for the widespread electric vehicle transition.
She said she told Biden this after the former President credited her and GM for leading EV efforts in the United States.
During an interview at the New York Times Dealbook Summit with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Barra said she told Biden that crediting her was essentially a mistake, and that Musk and Tesla should have been explicitly mentioned (via Business Insider):
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla…You know me, Andrew. I don’t want to take credit for things.”
GM CEO Mary Barra said to Andrew Sorkin at the New York Times Dealbook Summit that she pulled President Biden aside and said Tesla CEO @elonmusk deserved the credit for EVs:
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla,’” Barra… pic.twitter.com/OHBTG1QfbJ
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 3, 2025
Back in 2021, President Biden visited GM’s “Factory Zero” plant in Detroit, which was the centerpiece of the company’s massive transition to EVs. The former President went on to discuss the EV industry, and claimed that GM and Barra were the true leaders who caused the change:
“In the auto industry, Detroit is leading the world in electric vehicles. You know how critical it is? Mary, I remember talking to you way back in January about the need for America to lead in electric vehicles. I can remember your dramatic announcement that by 2035, GM would be 100% electric. You changed the whole story, Mary. You did, Mary. You electrified the entire automotive industry. I’m serious. You led, and it matters.”
People were baffled by the President’s decision to highlight GM and Barra, and not Tesla and Musk, who truly started the transition to EVs. GM, Ford, and many other companies only followed in the footsteps of Tesla after it started to take market share from them.
Elon Musk and Tesla try to save legacy automakers from Déjà vu
Musk would eventually go on to talk about Biden’s words later on:
“They have so much power over the White House that they can exclude Tesla from an EV Summit. And, in case the first thing, in case that wasn’t enough, then you have President Biden with Mary Barra at a subsequent event, congratulating Mary for having led the EV revolution.”
In Q4 2021, which was shortly after Biden’s comments, Tesla delivered 300,000 EVs. GM delivered just 26.
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Tesla Full Self-Driving shows confident navigation in heavy snow
So far, from what we’ve seen, snow has not been a huge issue for the most recent Full Self-Driving release. It seems to be acting confidently and handling even snow-covered roads with relative ease.
Tesla Full Self-Driving is getting its first taste of Winter weather for late 2025, as snow is starting to fall all across the United States.
The suite has been vastly improved after Tesla released v14 to many owners with capable hardware, and driving performance, along with overall behavior, has really been something to admire. This is by far the best version of FSD Tesla has ever released, and although there are a handful of regressions with each subsequent release, they are usually cleared up within a week or two.
Tesla is releasing a modified version of FSD v14 for Hardware 3 owners: here’s when
However, adverse weather conditions are something that Tesla will have to confront, as heavy rain, snow, and other interesting situations are bound to occur. In order for the vehicles to be fully autonomous, they will have to go through these scenarios safely and accurately.
One big issue I’ve had, especially in heavy rain, is that the camera vision might be obstructed, which will display messages that certain features’ performance might be degraded.
So far, from what we’ve seen, snow has not been a huge issue for the most recent Full Self-Driving release. It seems to be acting confidently and handling even snow-covered roads with relative ease:
FSD 14.1.4 snow storm Ontario Canada pic.twitter.com/jwK1dLYT0w
— Everything AI (@mrteslaspace) November 17, 2025
I found the steepest, unplowed hill in my area and tested the following:
• FSD 14.2.1 on summer tires
• FSD 14.2.1 on winter tires
• Manual drivingBut I think the most impressive part was how FSD went DOWN the hill. FSD in the snow is sublime $TSLA pic.twitter.com/YMcN7Br3PU
— Dillon Loomis (@DillonLoomis) December 2, 2025
Well.. I couldn’t let the boys have all the fun!
Threw the GoPro up and decided to FSD v14.2.1 in the snow. Roads were not compacted like the other day, a little slippery, but overall doable at lower speeds. Enjoy the video and holiday music 🎶
Liked:
Took turns super slow… pic.twitter.com/rIAIeh3Zu3— 🦋Diana🦋 (@99_Colorado) December 3, 2025
Moving into the winter months, it will be very interesting to see how FSD handles even more concerning conditions, especially with black ice, freezing rain and snow mix, and other things that happen during colder conditions.
We are excited to test it ourselves, but I am waiting for heavy snowfall to make it to Pennsylvania so I can truly push it to the limit.
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Tesla hosts Rome Mayor for first Italian FSD Supervised road demo
The event marked the first time an Italian mayor tested the advanced driver-assistance system in person in Rome’s urban streets.
Tesla definitely seems to be actively engaging European officials on FSD’s capabilities, with the company hosting Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Mobility Assessor Eugenio Patanè for a hands-on road demonstration.
The event marked the first time an Italian mayor tested the advanced driver-assistance system in person in Rome’s urban streets. This comes amid Tesla’s push for FSD’s EU regulatory approvals in the coming year.
Rome officials experience FSD Supervised
Tesla conducted the demo using a Model 3 equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised), tackling typical Roman traffic including complex intersections, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and mixed users like cars, bikes and scooters.
The system showcased AI-based assisted driving, prioritizing safety while maintaining flow. FSD also handled overtakes and lane decisions, though with constant driver supervision.
Investor Andrea Stroppa detailed the event on X, noting the system’s potential to reduce severe collision risks by up to seven times compared to traditional driving, based on Tesla’s data from billions of global fleet miles. The session highlighted FSD’s role as an assistance tool in its Supervised form, not a replacement, with the driver fully responsible at all times.
Path to European rollout
Tesla has logged over 1 million kilometers of testing across 17 European countries, including Italy, to refine FSD for local conditions. The fact that Rome officials personally tested FSD Supervised bodes well for the program’s approval, as it suggests that key individuals are closely watching Tesla’s efforts and innovations.
Assessor Patanè also highlighted the administration’s interest in technologies that boost road safety and urban travel quality, viewing them as aids for both private and public transport while respecting rules.
Replies on X urged involving Italy’s Transport Ministry to speed approvals, with one user noting, “Great idea to involve the mayor! It would be necessary to involve components of the Ministry of Transport and the government as soon as possible: it’s they who can accelerate the approval of FSD in Italy.”
GM CEO Mary Barra says she told Biden to give Tesla and Musk EV credit
Tesla Full Self-Driving shows confident navigation in heavy snow
