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Elon Musk dubbed as ‘Industry Newsmaker of the Year’ in All-Stars Awards
Elon Musk is being honored as the Industry Newsmaker of the Year by industry publication Automotive News, which recognized the Tesla CEO as one of the few people who found a way to gain momentum in a year that was challenging for the automotive industry.
Tesla and SpaceX both have used 2020 as a year of “no excuses,” marking incredible surges in valuation and momentum as other companies failed to grow in their respective sectors. Musk’s 2020 has gone far beyond cars and rocketships, and the Tesla CEO has released an EDM track, a bottle of highly-popular Tequila, fathered a newborn, launched a worldwide satellite internet service, and propelled his Neuralink project into relevancy with new developments that were detailed in a company event earlier this year. It has been anything but an off-year for Musk, who has used the pandemic as motivation to get the world into the future and develop new technology that will increase the efficiency of our lives in every facet.
Perhaps Musk’s biggest win in 2020 was Tesla’s constant and consistent growth on Wall Street, which has made company investors extremely wealthy. After the company’s first trading day in 2020, TSLA’s price per share was just over $86 apiece. Now, the stock has surged to over $600 a share at its highest point, and its momentum all has to do with the influence that the once-failing company that struggled to keep its doors open 12 short years ago has on the rest of the automotive sector.
Elon Musk’s astonishing life accomplishments to be recognized by award in Berlin
Tesla has managed to show that electric cars will eventually be the only way to travel, and legacy car companies are beginning to realize that their production lines need to transition to sustainable forms of transportation. Musk is certainly aware of his company’s influence and has noted during some interviews that Tesla’s success in the automotive sector speaks for itself.
“I must be doing something right, as far as my managing style’s concerned. Tesla’s worth twice as much as the rest of the U.S. auto industry combined,” he said to Automotive News.
Tesla’s valuation has been fueled by its constant improvements in automotive technology, including batteries, and its ever-growing appearance in foreign markets. To keep up with demand outside of the United States, Tesla is building the second phase of its already-operational Giga Shanghai facility and is moving closer to the first production push at the Giga Berlin plant in Germany. While those two facilities will supply vehicles to some of the most populous automotive markets globally, Tesla is also building a new facility in Texas to help with increasing demand in its home country of the United States.
Other than that, Tesla has introduced its first versions of the “zero-intervention” Full Self Driving suite in a Beta release to a small group of owners. The release has solidified Tesla’s identity as the leader in semi-autonomous driving functions. The company plans to release more confident and detailed versions of the software as it improves, thanks to the work of the Autopilot and Artificial Intelligence teams.
Musk’s constant and tireless work to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy has made Tesla the most valuable car company on Earth. With more developments on the way, which include a $25,000 vehicle in the next few years, a more affordable battery through in-house manufacturing, and increasingly accurate FSD releases, Tesla holds the keys to become the most valuable company on Earth as every portion of the company aims to change life as we know it, for the better.
Tesla is planning for a new 300+ stall Supercharger station that will be an expansion of an existing facility, and the company is planning to add a surprise for the Semi.
The Firebaugh, California Supercharger is currently 72 Superchargers, but Tesla filed for an expansion that will add 232 additional plugs for passenger vehicles, and it also plans to add 16 Semichargers.
This will be the biggest Supercharger station Tesla will have to date, just months after it finished the Supercharger Oasis in Lost Hills, California, which has 168 stalls. This will have 304 total Supercharger stalls, and then the additional 16 Megachargers.
🚨 This Supercharger station will have 304 total stalls and 16 Semichargers following this expansion
Absolutely INSANE size 🔥
This is located on I-5, so many semis will be traveling along this route https://t.co/hM9hdLcWwg
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 13, 2026
The Firebaugh Supercharger is located on I-5, which is a major reason for why Tesla has chosen the location for additional Megacharger plug-ins, as Tesla Semi Program Manager Dan Priestley said on X earlier today.
Lots of trucks to electrify on I-5
— Dan Priestley (@danWpriestley) January 13, 2026
The project was revealed by MarcoRP, a Supercharger tracker.
The expansion is a massive signal for charging demand, especially as Tesla’s Superchargers are opened to numerous automakers and are no longer exclusive to the company’s EVs. Additionally, the installation of Megachargers is a good sign to come for the Tesla Semi program, which aims to truly ramp up this year.
Tesla plans to launch production of the Semi later this year.
It could also mean Tesla is going to expand its footprint of large-scale Supercharger projects in the coming years, which would be a big boost as EV adoption continues to soar in the United States.
Tesla has made two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles in its lineup, and the changes come just as the new model year begins production.
Last year, Tesla launched the Model Y Standard, which separated the previous models into the “Premium” category. The Standard vehicles lack several features, including more premium interior materials, acoustic-lined glass, and storage.
@teslarati There are some BIG differences between the Tesla Model Y Standard and Tesla Model Y Premium #tesla #teslamodely ♬ Sia – Xeptemper
The Model Y “Premium” trims are now getting several new upgrades, which come after the company launched a seven-seat configuration of the vehicle last night in the North American market for an upcharge of $2,500.
The new Model Y seven-seat configuration did not come with just an additional row of seating; it also came with a slew of other goodies that now come standard and were previously only available on the Model Y Performance, which was launched late last year.
All Black Headliner
The new Tesla Model Y Premium trims will now come standard with a black headliner, something that many owners have been requesting for some time.
The previous grey headliner and trim within the vehicle is now gone; it will be all black on all of the Premium trims from here on out, a welcome change:
Credit: Tesla
Larger and Higher Resolution Center Touchscreen
The center touchscreen in the new Model Y Premium configuration is now larger and has a higher resolution than the previous version.
In last year’s Model Y configurations (apart from the Performance), the center touchscreen was 15.4″. Now, Tesla has decided to go with the 16″ version across all Premium trims, which is a nice step up. It was nice to see this in the Performance, but it is really great to see Tesla include this in the Model Y’s more Premium trim levels.
Tesla Model Y Seven Seater
Tesla launched the latest iteration of the seven-seater for the Model Y on Monday night. Traditionally, the Model Y seats five passengers in total, but there were calls for a more spacious version several years ago.
Tesla released it, but it was extremely tight in the back, basically reserving those back seats for only small people or children.
Credit: Tesla
The new configuration looks to be slightly more spacious in the third row, but not as much space as most would require or want. Instead,
Elon Musk
Lufthansa Group to equip Starlink on its 850-aircraft fleet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Lufthansa Group has announced a partnership with Starlink that will bring high-speed internet connectivity to every aircraft across all its carriers.
This means that aircraft across the group’s brands, from Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines to Brussels Airlines, would be able to enjoy high-speed internet access using the industry-leading satellite internet solution.
Starlink in-flight internet
Under the collaboration, Lufthansa Group will install Starlink technology on both its existing fleet and all newly delivered aircraft, as noted by the group in a press release.
Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to provide significantly higher bandwidth and lower latency than traditional in-flight Wi-Fi, which should enable streaming, online work, and other data-intensive applications for passengers during flights.
Starlink-powered internet is expected to be available on the first commercial flights as early as the second half of 2026. The rollout will continue through the decade, with the entire Lufthansa Group fleet scheduled to be fully equipped with Starlink by 2029. Once complete, no other European airline group will operate more Starlink-connected aircraft.
Free high-speed access
As part of the initiative, Lufthansa Group will offer the new high-speed internet free of charge to all status customers and Travel ID users, regardless of cabin class. Chief Commercial Officer Dieter Vranckx shared his expectations for the program.
“In our anniversary year, in which we are celebrating Lufthansa’s 100th birthday, we have decided to introduce a new high-speed internet solution from Starlink for all our airlines. The Lufthansa Group is taking the next step and setting an essential milestone for the premium travel experience of our customers.
“Connectivity on board plays an important role today, and with Starlink, we are not only investing in the best product on the market, but also in the satisfaction of our passengers,” Vranckx said.
Tesla plans for new 300+ stall Supercharger with a special surprise for Semi
Tesla makes two big interior changes to several Model Y vehicles
