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Tesla’s unmistakable EV lead strongly acknowledged by Lucid and VW CEOs

Next-gen Tesla Roadster and Cybertruck at Hawthorne Design Center, 2019 Tesla Holiday Party (Credit: giftedkick_/Instagram)

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Lucid Motors and Volkswagen Auto Group CEOs Peter Rawlinson and Herbert Diess recently expressed their support towards Tesla and Elon Musk. The two automotive executives took particular note of Tesla’s growing lead in the electric car segment.

“There’s a recognition that Tesla is in a preeminent position in terms of EV technology,” Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson said at the BloombergNEF Summit. Rawlinson stated that Tesla’s lead in the EV sector is actually growing since the company continues to improve its already industry-leading products.

“They’re even further ahead than has been reported, and I think the gap is widening, not closing,” Rawlinson added.

This is a change in tune from Rawlinson as he was not always a firm supporter of Tesla, especially after he left the company. Before joining Lucid Motors, Rawlinson served as one of the chief engineers of Tesla’s flagship sedan, the Model S. In 2018, he spoke about Tesla’s lack of “truly luxury” features, arguing that the electric vehicles are “premium and high-tech, but not luxury.”

Tesla holds a considerable lead in the electric vehicle market, especially in terms of range and performance. This particular combination has eluded traditional carmakers who are dipping their feet into EVs so far. The Porsche Taycan Turbo, for example, knocks it out of the park with its classic sports car performance. But when it comes to range, the vehicle earned a paltry rating of 201 miles from the EPA.

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Indeed, Tesla’s lead in electric vehicles is something that’s becoming undeniable. It’s not only the Lucid Motors CEO that seems to be open enough to admit this, either.

Volkswagen AG CEO Herbert Diess has been vocal of his support of both Tesla and Musk in the past. After Musk announced his company’s plan to create a production plant in Germany while receiving an award for the Model 3, Diess was supportive of Musk. “I know all of this competition here in Germany, this award, it’s a great achievement,” Diess stated.

When Tesla’s value eclipsed Volkswagen’s by nearly $50 billion, Diess was nothing but supportive. Diess stated that he believes cars will eventually surpass the cell phone as “the most important mobile device” and Tesla’s technology is a key contributor to that idea. “If we see that, then we also understand why Tesla is so valuable from the view of analysts,” the VW CEO said.

Tesla stock has skyrocketed over the past three months. The price per stock at the closing bell on February 4 was $887.06, a new all-time-high for the company. Tesla’s technology has been a key to the company’s success, and based on Rawlinson and Diess recent statements, it appears that other automakers are starting to recognize the hard work Tesla has dedicated in the development of its core technologies.

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla Autopilot visualization gets big upgrade with tons of new additions

The AP visualization shows up on the center touchscreen and illustrates the surroundings of the cars. It has gotten better in recent years, as it is able to outline types of vehicles, pedestrians, animals, and more.

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Credit: @greentheonly | X

Tesla’s Autopilot visualization just got a big upgrade as the company added tons of new additions to what it will be able to render in terms of a vehicle’s surroundings.

The AP visualization shows up on the center touchscreen and illustrates the surroundings of the cars. It has gotten better in recent years, as it is able to outline types of vehicles, pedestrians, animals, and more.

Tesla just fixed a four-year-old bug with Full Self-Driving visualization

However, it still does not have every single application, and acquiring them will take some time. If an object or vehicle is visible to the vehicle but an accurate render is not available, the car will instead pick whatever is closest.

For example, I passed an Amish family yesterday in Lancaster, PA, and instead of illustrating the horse and carriage, it simply showed a small box truck.

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In an effort to make the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving suites more robust and accurate, Tesla has added a substantial amount of vehicle renders, which will become available in the coming weeks.

The visualizations were found by Tesla hacker @greentheonly, who posted them on X.

The new visualization renders are:

  • Ambulance
  • Firetruck
  • Garbage Truck
  • Schoolbus
  • European Semi Truck
  • Golf Cart
  • Person on a Scooter
  • Person on a Skateboard
  • Stroller
  • Street Sweeper
  • Three-Wheeler
  • Trailer
  • Train
  • Tram
  • Person in a Wheelchair

Here is an image with all of the Autopilot visualization renders:

Credit: Green

The visualization is a crucial part of manual operation and can be considered a distinct advantage that Tesla has over other companies.

It continues to be an effort that Tesla invests heavily in, as it keeps refining the suite and making it more robust with additional visualizations and animations.

Recently, it was revealed that Tesla is planning to utilize Unreal Engine for driver visualization to create a realistic depiction of the vehicle’s environment. Tesla has not yet confirmed this, but coding found with the Model S and Model X showed it could be coming in the near future.

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Tesla dominates best-selling EVs in Q3, but there’s one disappointment

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla dominated the sales figures for electric vehicles in the third quarter in the United States, but there was one disappointment: the Cybertruck.

As a whole, the EV industry benefitted from the loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit in Q3, which was something many expected. As the credit expired, consumers rushed to showrooms to take the credit and remove $7,500 from the purchase price of their new vehicle.

Will Tesla thrive without the EV tax credit? Five reasons why they might

It was a very interesting time for many companies as they scrambled to figure out how to push as many vehicles out the door as they could in preparation for the tax credit’s removal. In typical fashion, Tesla was able to top every manufacturer and secure a dominating portion of the overall market in Q3.

However, some other OEMs pulled out some surprises, including Chevrolet, Honda, and Ford, which managed to get two vehicles in the top 10, as many as Tesla.

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Cox Automotive compiled the data in its Q3 Electric Vehicle Sales Report:

  1. Tesla Model Y – 114,897
  2. Tesla Model 3 – 53,857
  3. Chevrolet Equinox EV – 25,085
  4. Hyundai Ioniq 5 – 21,999
  5. Honda Prologue – 20,236
  6. Ford Mustang Mach-E – 20,177
  7. Volkswagen ID.4 – 12,470
  8. Audi Q6 e-tron – 10,299
  9. Ford F-150 Lightning – 10,005
  10. Rivian R1S – 8,184

10.5 percent of the automotive sales in the U.S. in Q3 were electric, a new record that surpasses that of Q3 2024, where the total share of sales for EVs was 8.6 percent.

Now, the disappointment that is evident from this list is the fact that there is no Tesla Cybertruck listed. That’s because it was the second-best-selling EV pickup on the market. The company sold 5,385 Cybertruck units in Q3.

The Cybertruck has been a vehicle that has confused many Tesla fans and owners, especially considering the company had such stratospheric expectations for the vehicle while it was in development. Reservation trackers had the truck sitting between one million and two million orders, but it has not lived up to that.

Pricing is the main issue with Cybertruck. Tesla introduced the pickup with Single, Dual, and Tri-motor configurations, priced at $39,990, $49,990, and $69,990. Those price points are simply a thing of the past.

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Tesla makes major production announcement at Giga Shanghai

On Monday, Tesla China Vice President Grace Tao announced a change at Giga Shanghai.

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Credit: Wu Wa/YouTube

Tesla has made a major production announcement at its Chinese production facility, Giga Shanghai. The change of plans comes right after the company announced its strongest quarter in terms of deliveries in its history.

On Monday, Tesla China Vice President Grace Tao announced that the production facility would begin ramping up manufacturing in preparation for an even stronger Q4.

Tao said on the Chinese social media platform Weibo:

“The Shanghai Gigafactory has recently begun its fourth-quarter production ramp-up! In the third quarter of 2025, Tesla delivered a total of 497,000 new vehicles worldwide, setting a new quarterly delivery record. As the fourth quarter begins, our colleagues at the Shanghai factory are working hard to expand production and fully charge their vehicles, so that car owners in China and Asia-Pacific can receive their vehicles as soon as possible.”

China is an extremely robust market for electric vehicles, and Tesla routinely delivers strong numbers in the sector.

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However, Giga Shanghai is responsible for much more than just China, as it is a major export hub for other markets, including Asian-Pacific countries like New Zealand and Australia, among others.

Tesla delivered 497,099 vehicles in Q3, its strongest quarter ever from a delivery standpoint. About half of those vehicles came from Shanghai, as estimates point to roughly 242,000 of those cars coming from the Chinese factory.

Tesla China comeback: Retail sales hit second-highest month of 2025

Ramping up production at Giga Shanghai signals some internal belief that there is a lot of strength in terms of demand for Tesla vehicles. Tesla has a strong track record of fulfilling the need for its vehicles at the Shanghai factory, as it is widely regarded for building some of the best-quality Tesla vehicles.

However, the company launched a new configuration of the Model Y, called the Model Y L, in China. It is only available from Giga Shanghai and features a third row of seating and additional length in the wheelbase.

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This additional space was widely sought out by customers, and Tesla listened. It could be a key to the company continuing its strength in the Chinese market, especially as there are many well-equipped competitors in the country.

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