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Tesla and Hong Kong: Once ideal companions for a city of contrasts
Luxury automobile owners in Hong Kong have enthusiastically embraced the Tesla brand over the past three years. In large part, that’s because Tesla vehicles were not part of the pool of new car purchases that incurred a tax often equal to or exceeding a car’s full sticker price. Tesla had benefited from a nearly twenty year old exemption from this tax as part of the electric vehicle category.
However, the allure of a Tesla as a luxury car with great value and zero emissions may be fading for Tesla consumers.
During a speech about the annual budget for 2017, financial secretary Paul Chan announced that the government will lift a long-standing waiver for electric cars on new vehicle registration taxes. It will be replaced by a maximum deduction that is equivalent to about $12,500 U.S. As there had been so few electric car choices in the Hong Kong market, the original heavy tax on new private car purchases, which had been imposed as a measure to mitigate emissions and reduce traffic, really didn’t amount to much lost tax revenue for the government in its early years.
That is, until Tesla came to town. Car buyers soon found that it could purchase an automobile with the panache of a Mercedes but spend about half the amount. Tesla owners would also have the added benefit of feeling better about their contributions to a city that suffers from heavy air pollution.
Hong Kong’s love for Tesla
Hong Kong is a fascinating place. Calm and orderly crowds. Ample green spaces interspersed between and on top a vertical city. Open land just on the city outskirts. An area that feels like one giant interconnected shopping mall with a density of luxury brand stores. Three Tiffany’s Flagship stores. Eight Hermès shops. Thirteen Armani stores and the Armani Nightclub. In Hong Kong, the new and contemporary complement the ancient and traditional: temples beside skyscrapers, luxury shops flanking Chinese pharmacies, double-decker trams and mini-buses puttering alongside Teslas.
-->The Tesla brand has fit nicely into the Hong Kong cultural melting pot of neon signs and urban landscape. With networking as an integral part of life and thirty-somethings working and playing hard in a hedonistic lifestyle, Tesla arrived in Hong Kong at the right time. A top tax bracket on income set at 17.5% didn’t hurt sales, either.
Electric vehicle (EV) registrations in Hong Kong catapulted in the last few years. That affection for EVs may be coming to an end now that the government is revising the regulations that inspired their popularity. The new legislation will alter a Tesla Model S 60 with a sticker price of price of $570,000 HK ($73,000 USD) to a cost total of $925,500 HK ($120,000 USD). That means there would be little or no price advantage to purchase a Tesla over a Mercedes. It remains to be seen whether Tesla will still have appeal due to its now-established strong brand, its inherent zero petrol costs, and its ability to contribute to lower pollution levels.
A Tesla spokesperson says that the company is “disappointed” with the government’s new measure:
“Over the past few years, the impressive growth in all kinds of electric vehicles on Hong Kong’s roads has helped create a cleaner, more sustainable city without increasing congestion as almost all our new owners are replacing a particularly high-polluting fossil fuel vehicle. [The action] threatens to move Hong Kong backwards. We will continue to support our owner community and will work with all our current order holders to ensure the delivery of their vehicles with full FRT exemption.”
Here is the cost breakout for Hong Kong luxury car purchases under the new measures.
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Image courtesy of Quartz
News
Tesla’s new Holiday perk is timed perfectly to make FSD a household name
Tesla AI4 owners get FSD (Supervised) through Christmas, New Year’s Eve and well into the post-holiday travel season.
Tesla quietly rolled out a free Full Self-Driving (Supervised) trial for roughly 1.5 million HW4 owners in North America who never bought the package, and the timing could very well be genius.
As it turns out, the trial doesn’t end after 30 days. Instead, it expires January 8, 2026, meaning owners get FSD (Supervised) through Christmas, New Year’s Eve and well into the post-holiday travel season. This extended window positions the feature for maximum word-of-mouth exposure.
A clever holiday gift
Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt first spotted the detail after multiple owners shared screenshots showing the trial expiring on January 8. He confirmed with affected users that none had active FSD subscriptions before the rollout. He also observed that Tesla never called the promotion a “30-day trial,” as the in-car message simply reads “You’re Getting FSD (Supervised) For the Holidays,” which technically runs until after the new year.
The roughly 40-day period covers peak family travel and gatherings, giving owners ample opportunity to showcase the latest FSD V14’s capabilities on highway trips, crowded parking lots and neighborhood drives. With relatives riding along, hands-off highway driving and automatic lane changes could become instant conversation starters.
Rave reviews for FSD V14 highlight demo potential
FSD has been receiving positive reviews from users as of late. Following the release of FSD v14.2.1, numerous owners praised the update for its smoothness and reliability. Tesla owner @LactoseLunatic called it a “huge leap forward from version 14.1.4,” praising extreme smoothness, snappy lane changes and assertive yet safe behavior that allows relaxed monitoring.
-->Another Tesla owner, @DevinOlsenn, drove 600 km without disengagements, noting his wife now defaults to FSD for daily use due to its refined feel. Sawyer Merritt also tested FSD V14.2.1 in snow on unplowed New Hampshire roads, and the system stayed extra cautious without hesitation. Longtime FSD tester Chuck Cook highlighted improved sign recognition in school zones, showing better dynamic awareness. These reports of fewer interventions and a more “sentient” drive could turn family passengers into advocates, fueling subscriptions come January.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk predicts AI and robotics could make work “optional” within 20 years
Speaking on entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, Musk predicted that machines will soon handle most forms of labor, leaving humans to work only if they choose to.
Elon Musk stated that rapid advances in artificial intelligence and robotics could make traditional work unnecessary within two decades.
Speaking on entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, Musk predicted that machines will soon handle most forms of labor, leaving humans to work only if they choose to.
Work as a “hobby”
During the discussion, Musk said the accelerating capability of AI systems and general-purpose robots will eventually cover all essential tasks, making human labor a choice rather than an economic requirement. “In less than 20 years, working will be optional. Working at all will be optional. Like a hobby,” Musk said.
When Kamath asked whether this future is driven by massive productivity growth, Musk agreed, noting that people will still be free to work if they enjoy the routine or the challenge. He compared future employment to home gardening, as it is something people can still do for personal satisfaction even if buying food from a store is far easier.
“Optional” work in the future
Elon Musk acknowledged the boldness of his claim and joked that people might look back in 20 years and say he was wrong. That being said, the CEO noted that such a scenario could even happen sooner than his prediction, at least if one were to consider the pace of the advancements in AI and robotics.
-->“Obviously people can play this back in 20 years and say, ‘Look, Elon made this ridiculous prediction and it’s not true,’ but I think it will turn out to be true, that in less than 20 years, maybe even as little as ten or 15 years, the advancements in AI and robotics will bring us to the point where working is optional,” Musk said.
Elon Musk’s comments echo his previous sentiments at Tesla’s 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, where he noted that Optimus could ultimately eliminate poverty. He also noted that robots like Optimus could eventually provide people worldwide with the best medical care.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk reiterates why Tesla will never make an electric motorcycle
Tesla CEO Elon Musk preemptively shut down speculations about a Tesla road bike once more.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk preemptively shut down speculations about a Tesla road bike once more, highlighting that the electric vehicle maker has no plans to enter the electric motorcycle market.
Musk posted his clarification in a post on X.
Musk’s reply to a fun AI video
X user @Moandbhr posted an AI video featuring the Tesla CEO on the social media platform, captioning it with “Mr. Elon Musk Just Revealed the Game-Changing Tesla Motorcycle.” The short clip depicted Musk approaching a sleek, single-wheeled vehicle, stepping onto it, and gliding off into the distance amid cheers. The fun video received a lot of traction on X, gaining 3.1 million views as of writing.
Musk replied to the post, stating that a Tesla motorcycle is not going to happen. “Never happening, as we can’t make motorcycles safe. For Community Notes, my near death experience was on a road bike. Dirt bikes are safe if you ride carefully, as you can’t be smashed by a truck,” Musk wrote in his reply.
Musk’s Past Comments on Two-Wheelers
Musk also detailed his reservations about motorcycles in a December 2019 X post while responding to questions about Tesla’s potential ATV. At the time, he responded positively to an electric ATV, though he also opposed the idea of a Tesla road-going motorcycle. Musk did state that electric dirt bikes might be cool, since they do not operate in areas where large vehicles like Class 8 trucks are present.
-->“Electric dirt bikes would be cool too. We won’t do road bikes, as too dangerous. I was hit by a truck & almost died on one when I was 17,” Musk wrote in his post.
Considering Musk’s comments about dirt bikes, however, perhaps Tesla would eventually offer a road bike as a recreational vehicle. Such a two-wheeler would be a good fit for the Cybertruck, as well as future products like the Robovan, which could be converted into an RV.
Tesla’s new Holiday perk is timed perfectly to make FSD a household name
Elon Musk predicts AI and robotics could make work “optional” within 20 years
