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Elon Musk’s warm reception in China is a wake-up call to Tesla’s skeptics

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7 years ago

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A couple of days after holding the groundbreaking ceremony of Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai, Elon Musk met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing. Li, widely regarded as China’s #2 after President Xi Jinping, spoke candidly with Musk, discussing his optimism about Gigafactory 3 and the innovations that Tesla can bring to the table by producing its electric cars in the Asian economic superpower.

Tesla’s skeptics would best be worried at this point. Musk, after all, continually faces a barrage of criticism — some warranted, most unwarranted — from the United States’ mainstream media and groups of individuals who stand to gain from the company’s decline. This is particularly notable in platforms such as Twitter, which sees daily debates between the TSLA community, who support Musk and his ventures, and the TSLAQ group, who oppose the serial tech entrepreneur. In the United States, at least, Tesla is a widely polarizing company, and Elon Musk is a favorite target for those who oppose his work and what he stands for.

This does not seem to be the case in China. During his talk with the Chinese Premier, Musk openly noted that the country’s speed of development and efficiency are impressive. As pointed out in a China Government Network report, Musk said that “Tesla will strive to build the Shanghai factory into the world’s most advanced factories.” When asked by Li what Musk meant by “most advanced,” the CEO noted that the description would be true for both Gigafactory 3 itself and the vehicles that it would manufacture. Musk further noted that he is hoping to make the Shanghai Gigafactory a global example of a facility that functions almost like a “living being.” Later on, the Chinese premier welcomed Musk’s ideas, even comparing the Tesla CEO to the late Steve Jobs, who revolutionized the mobile industry with the iPhone.

“If you do have this idea, then we can issue you a ‘Chinese Green Card.’ Your idea is similar to Apple’s founder Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs is inspired by the oriental Zen culture originated from China and optimized the interface of Apple’s mobile phone,” Li said.

It should be noted that Elon Musk and the Chinese Premier held a meeting at the Tower of Violet Light in Beijing — a place usually reserved for the country’s most distinguished guests. In a way, it is no exaggeration to state that Musk received a welcome worthy of a foreign dignitary by the Chinese government. Considering that Musk is a foreign automaker CEO, such warm reception does indicate the country’s open support for Tesla and Gigafactory 3.

In a way, Tesla’s presence in Shanghai is beneficial to the country. China, after all, is aggressively pushing the adoption of renewable energy, and among its initiatives is a significant shift towards electric mobility. In this light, having well-known and daring innovators such as Elon Musk on the country’s side would help China reach its ambitious goals, one of which is to sell 7 million electric or hybrid vehicles annually by 2025. In a statement to Xinhua News, Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association described Elon Musk and the Gigafactory 3’s effect on the Chinese EV industry.

“Tesla’s China production will have a ‘catfish effect’ in the country’s auto industry, pushing domestic carmakers to speed up their technological upgrading,” Cui said.

That said, the United States media has recently begun adopting a somewhat friendlier stance on Musk and Tesla. While there is still a healthy stream of negative articles about the company and its CEO, some notable personalities from mainstream media such as CNBC’s Becky Quick appear to be turning a new page. During a segment featuring fellow CNBC host Phil LeBeau in Gigafactory 1, for one, Quick admitted that she does tend to “short-change” Elon Musk.

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“We tend to kinda short-change Elon Musk with all the things he’s done with the Gigafactory, Tesla, the rockets, The Boring Company. Seeing it in action gives you a slightly different perspective, I would guess,” she said.

Fox Business‘ Stuart Varney, one of Musk’s more vocal critics in the past, has also taken a friendlier stance on the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. Addressing his audience, Varney noted that it is now time to “re-evaluate” Elon Musk.

“I think it’s time for a re-evaluation. I think it’s time to look at the man’s achievements, rather than his public image. Like him or not, Elon Musk is surely the prime example of a brilliant entrepreneur. He makes state-of-the-art electric cars. He had the vision. A lot of people talk about their “vision,” but he went out and did it. You’ve heard of SpaceX. That’s an Elon Musk company. He had a vision for reusable rockets, and he went out and did that, too… That’s an achievement.

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“You’ve heard of the Boring Company… This is Musk’s contribution to future mass transit. The point is, he did it. He just offered a tour of the tunnel he’s already built in southern California. It’s not just talk. In the age of social media, we tend to fixate on the negatives. It’s easy to pour scorn on someone who behaves like Elon Musk. But step back, and look at what he has actually done: He’s in the car business, the space business, the mass transit business. He’s got a product in all three industries. That is tangible success. Give the man credit.”

There is little doubt that Elon Musk is one of the world’s most notable innovators today. If the reception he received during Gigafactory 3’s groundbreaking is any indication, it appears that he is well-supported in China. It remains to be seen if this same reception would be extended in the country Musk currently calls his home.

As for Musk’s skeptics, this might be a very bad time to bet against the man. 

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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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.”

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6 hours ago

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December 3, 2025

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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.”

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.

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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.

Published

9 hours ago

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December 3, 2025

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Credit: Grok

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.

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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:

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.

Published

14 hours ago

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December 3, 2025

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Credit: @andst7/X

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.

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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.”

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