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Tesla India: The Three Directors leading Tesla into new lands

Credit: Reddit | u/Coolioj

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Tesla has officially received a business license in India that will allow the automaker to function as a full-fledged car manufacturer in one of the world’s most populous countries. Without a team of highly-experienced executives who are versed in international business, financials, and manufacturing, Tesla wouldn’t have a chance at being successful anywhere, let alone in India. Therefore, the company has called upon three executives to start the operation as they have been listed on India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs website as the three Directors who will lead Tesla into India, an unfamiliar territory.

Tesla has had India in its plans for corporate expansion for several years. Musk met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, where the politician expressed his support for Tesla’s mission and it’s all-electric products. But since then, Tesla has been met with nothing but roadblocks and delays. It has finally made some headway in its effort to establish a production facility or Research and Development center in the country.

Because of import taxes, Tesla’s vehicles are a rarity in India. Nearly doubling the cost of the vehicle due to getting it into the country from Fremont, California, Teslas are only driven around by the extremely wealthy. With limited charging options available in the country, it makes them even less appealing. However, the coming expansion incites consumer excitement among Indian fans of the electric carmaker, who have pushed for Elon Musk to attempt to drive his company into their country. Now it’s finally happening.

Tesla gains India business license, stock soars over 6%

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David Feinstein

David Feinstein has been with Tesla for 8 years and 9 months, according to his LinkedIn page. His job title has always been related to Global and International business. When he started with Tesla in 2012, he was the Manager of Global Trade Compliance for its supply chain. After that, Feinstein became the Senior Manager of Global Trade, then the Director of Global Trade & New Markets. He was appointed to the Senior Director of Global Trade & New Markets in February 2020, and now his biggest project yet has been passed onto him: getting Tesla up and running in India.

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Feinstein’s global trade experience will be beneficial for Tesla’s entrance into the market. Since India is one of the few countries with such a heavy import tax, which has really neutralized Tesla’s presence in the country until now, it will be interesting to see what he can do moving forward.

Vaibhav Taneja

Vaibhav Taneja is the Chief Accounting Officer for Tesla, and he has held that position for 1 year and 11 months. He started with Tesla four years ago in February 2017 as the Assistant Corporate Controller and then moved to the Corporate Controller position. Controllers are responsible for the accuracy and timeliness of a company’s accounting department. They control the company’s cash flow and oversee the production of financial reports.

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Prior to Tesla, Taneja acted as the VP and Corporate Controller of Solar City until Tesla absorbed the company, his LinkedIn states. He also has close ties with India, as he is a graduate of Delhi University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. He also attended the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Taneja will likely work to solve financial challenges as Tesla moves forward with its Indian inclusion. His proven track record with Tesla makes him a great fit for the job, and his roots in India certainly don’t hurt, either.

Venkatrangam Sreeram

Venkatrangam Sreeram is the co-founder of ClearQuote, an app that uses computer vision to assess car damage. Before that, he was Managing Director of Xenon Automotive and spent nearly two years as a Project manager for Tesla’s China operation from July 2012 to May 2014. As a Project Manager, he states that he was involved in the set up of wholesales in retail operations in the country. He had automotive experience before his post at Tesla. He worked as a Project Manager and a VP of Sales Operations for Jaguar Land Rover, and an Assistant General Manager for Tata Motors in Mumbai and London.

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Venkat, as he is referred to, is based in Karnataka as well, the southwest state in India that will be home to Tesla’s Indian initiative.

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What do you think? Leave a comment down below. Got a tip? Email us at tips@teslarati.com or reach out to me at joey@teslarati.com

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 Full Self-Driving shows stunning maneuver in Europe to silence skeptics

In a striking demonstration of autonomous driving prowess, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system recently showcased its capabilities on the narrow rural roads of the Netherlands. Captured in two in-car videos, the system encountered scenarios that would challenge even the most experienced human drivers.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Full Self-Driving, fresh on the heels of its approval for operation on European roads for the first time, showed off a stunning maneuver that will certainly silence any skeptics on the continent.

Fresh off its approval in the Netherlands, Full Self-Driving is working toward a significant expansion into more parts of Europe.

In a striking demonstration of autonomous driving prowess, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system recently showcased its capabilities on the narrow rural roads of the Netherlands. Captured in two in-car videos, the system encountered scenarios that would challenge even the most experienced human drivers.

In the first clip, a wide tractor occupied more than half the lane on a tight two-way road. Rather than braking abruptly or forcing a collision risk, FSD smoothly edged the vehicle onto the adjacent bike path—using the extra space with precision—before seamlessly returning to the lane once clear.

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The second clip was equally demanding: while overtaking a group of cyclists, an oncoming car approached at speed.

FSD maintained a safe, minimal buffer to the cyclists while timing the pass perfectly, avoiding any swerve or hesitation that could unsettle passengers or other road users.

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This maneuver highlights FSD’s advanced spatial reasoning and predictive planning. On roads often under three meters wide, with no room for error, the system calculated available clearance in real time, incorporated shoulder and path geometry, and executed a controlled deviation without compromising safety.

It treated the bike path as a legitimate extension of navigable space, something many drivers might hesitate to do, while respecting Dutch road norms and cyclist priority.

Such feats align closely with a growing library of impressive FSD maneuvers documented on camera worldwide.

In urban Amsterdam, for instance, FSD has navigated the world’s densest cyclist environments, weaving through hundreds of unpredictable bike movements on canal-side streets with tram tracks and pedestrians.

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One uncut drive showed it yielding smoothly at crossings, overtaking where needed, and even handling a near-perfect auto-park in a tight residential spot, demonstrating the same low-speed precision seen in the rural clips.

Teslas using FSD have tackled turbo roundabouts in the Netherlands, complex multi-lane circles notorious for geometry challenges, merging confidently while yielding to traffic. Similar clips depict smooth handling of construction zones, emergency vehicle pull-overs, and gated parking barriers, where the car stops precisely, waits for clearance, and proceeds without driver input.

Collectively, these examples illustrate FSD’s evolution toward handling the unpredictable.

The rural Netherlands maneuvers aren’t isolated. Instead, they reflect a pattern of spatial awareness, cyclist deference, and traffic anticipation seen from city streets to highways.

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As FSD continues refining through real-world data, videos like this one are certainly building a compelling case for its readiness on Europe’s varied roads.

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Tesla utilizes its ‘Rave Cave’ for new awesome safety feature

Part of the massive interior overhaul of both the Model 3 “Highland” and Model Y “Juniper” was the addition of interior accent lighting to help bring out the mood of the vehicle, increase the customization of the interior, and to create a unique listening experience.

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Credit: Tesla | X

Tesla is utilizing its ‘Rave Cave’ for an awesome new safety feature that will arrive with the upcoming Spring Update for 2026.

Part of the massive interior overhaul of both the Model 3 “Highland” and Model Y “Juniper” was the addition of interior accent lighting to help bring out the mood of the vehicle, increase the customization of the interior, and to create a unique listening experience.

Tesla added a Sync Lights feature that will strobe the accent strips with the beat of the music.

It is one of the most unique and one of the coolest non-functional features of a Tesla, as it does not improve the driving of the vehicle, but makes it a cool and personal addition to the interior.

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However, Tesla is going to take it one step further, as the Rave Cave lights will now be used for blind spot recognition. This feature will be added as the Spring 2026 Update starts to roll out.

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Tesla writes:

“Accent lights now turn red when an object is in your blind spot and your turn signal is engaged, or when an approaching object is detected while parked.”

This neat new safety feature will now increase the likelihood of a driver, who is operating their Tesla manually, of seeing the blind spot warnings that are currently available on the A pillar and on the center touchscreen.

These new alerts will now warn drivers of cross traffic as they back out of a parking space with little to no visibility of what is coming. It is a great new addition that will only increase the safety of the vehicles, while also utilizing something that is already installed in these specific Model 3 and Model Y units.

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The Model 3 and Model Y were the central focus of the Spring 2026 Update, especially considering the fact that the Model S and Model X are basically gone, with only a few hundred units left. Additionally, Tesla included new Immersive Sound and Car Visualization for the Model 3 and Model Y specifically in this new update.

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Tesla parked 50+ Cybercabs outside its Texas Factory with some crash tested

Dozens of Tesla Cybercabs have been spotted at Giga Texas crash testing facility ahead of launch.

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Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)
Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas on April 13, 2026 [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)

Drone footage captured by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer shows over 50 units of Tesla Cybercab at the Austin factory campus, including several units clustered by Tesla’s on-site crash testing facility.

The outbound lot at Gigafactory Texas sits just outside the factory exit and serves as the primary staging area where finished vehicles are held before being loaded onto transport carriers or dispatched for validation testing. On any given day, the lot holds a mix of Model Y and Cybertruck units alongside the growing Tesla Cybercab fleet, as can be seen in the drone footage captured by Joe Tegtmeyer.

Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)

Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas on April 13, 2026 [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)

Roughly 50 Cybercab units are visible across the campus, parked in tight organized rows. Most of the units visible still carry steering wheels and pedals, temporary additions Tesla included to satisfy current safety regulations while the vehicles accumulate real-world data ahead of full regulatory approval for a steering wheel-free design.

Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)

Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)

Tesla operates dedicated Crash Labs at both its Giga Texas and Fremont facilities that are purpose-built for controlled structural crash tests. Historically, automakers begin intensive crash testing roughly one to two months before volume production kicks off. The Cybertruck followed almost exactly that pattern. The Cybercab appears to be on the same track facility that we first saw back in October 2025.

Tesla Cybercab crash test units spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)

Tesla Cybercab crash test units spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)

The first production Cybercab rolled off the Giga Texas line on February 17, 2026. Volume production is now targeted for April. Musk previously wrote on X that “the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast,” and separately stated Tesla is targeting at least 2 million Cybercab units per year. Commercial robotaxi service in Austin is targeted for late 2026.

 

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