News
Tesla targets 2022 to finalize India manufacturing plans: analyst
Tesla’s manufacturing efforts in India could launch as soon as 2022, according to Soumen Mandal, an analyst at Counterpoint Research. Tesla has been targeting an entrance into the Indian automotive market for several years, with 2021 seeing the most progress for the electric automaker to finally begin building its cars in the country.
Mandal sees India as perhaps one of the largest beneficiaries of the ongoing EV movement globally, and the analyst believes Tesla is well aware of this fact. If this is the case, Tesla will likely want to make their mark early and often, as it could prove to be a deciding factor in whether the company tastes success in India, a risky region for the company’s growing initiative to transition the Earth to sustainable energy.
“None of the big automakers wants to leave out the opportunity to acquire a share in the India market,” Mandal said, according to a new report from Economic Times of India. “Tesla is not an exception in this case. The cheap availability of resources and lower labor cost will allow Tesla as well as other automakers to earn a higher profit if they set up a local manufacturing or assembly plant.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo: Narendra Modi/Twitter)
Tesla has sparred with government officials in India for several months, playing a game of chess to see which entity will cater to the other’s wishes. At first, Tesla planned to build a manufacturing facility in the region. However, CEO Elon Musk reasonably backtracked as he was not yet convinced that Tesla would be a good fit in India.
Instead, Musk wanted to test the demand for Tesla’s EVs in India by utilizing an import method. As Tesla has an already active production facility in Shanghai and another in Germany that will begin production imminently, there are plenty of routes for Tesla’s EVs to make it to India. The issue remains, however: import duties are doubling the price of vehicles, and Tesla won’t be able to accurately test demand in India if these taxes are not reduced.
India’s currently active political administration is undoubtedly keen on keeping manufacturing efforts at home. This means that Tesla’s requests for import duty reductions were likely scoffed at by the country’s higher-ups, who had no intentions of continuing any talks of catering to Tesla’s wishes. However, government officials once again derailed Tesla’s attempts to make headway with these requests, as officials stated India couldn’t make “company-specific incentives” a reality. Instead, Tesla would have to launch a manufacturing plant in India, which put the possibility of “Tesla India” on ice for the time being.
This wish was eventually reconsidered by some government officials. Duties do have the possibility of being pulled back. One Indian official said, “We haven’t firmed up the reduction in duties yet, but there are discussions that are ongoing.”
Tesla India: Gov’t officials ponder sizable import duty reductions for EVs
Mandal believes that India will eventually work something out with Tesla as the opportunity may be too good to pass up. “Hence, the desire to earn more profit as well as the wish to acquire a market share in one of the to-be largest auto markets is bringing Tesla to India,” the analyst said. Tesla has been the only automaker to basically avoid any production stoppages due to the global semiconductor shortage, and India must know that. “All most every automaker is currently suffering from the ongoing semiconductor shortage. While most of the automakers like Stellantis, Volkswagen, Toyota, BMW, Ford and others have cut production severely due to the ongoing chip crisis, Tesla has not been affected significantly,” Mandal said.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, or be sure to email me at joey@teslarati.com or on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
News
Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E
When ordering a new Ford Mustang Mach-E, you’ll now be hit with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
Ford is charging an additional fee for a basic EV feature on its Mustang Mach-E, its most popular electric vehicle offering.
Ford has shuttered its initial Model e program, but is venturing into a more controlled and refined effort, and it is abandoning the F-150 Lightning in favor of a new pickup that is currently under design, but appears to have some favorable features.
However, ordering a new Mustang Mach-E now comes with an additional fee for one basic EV feature: the frunk.
The frunk is the front trunk, and due to the lack of a large engine in the front of an electric vehicle, OEMs are able to offer additional storage space under the hood. There’s one problem, though, and that is that companies appear to be recognizing that they can remove it for free while offering the function for a fee.
Ford is now charging $495 on the Mustang Mach-E frunk (front trunk). What are your thoughts on that? pic.twitter.com/EOzZe3z9ZQ
— Alan of TesCalendar 📆⚡️ (@TesCalendar1) February 24, 2026
Ford is charging $495 for the frunk.
Interestingly, the frunk size varies by vehicle, but the Mustang Mach-E features a 4.7 to 4.8 cubic-foot-sized frunk, which measures approximately 9 inches deep, 26 inches wide, and 14 inches high.
When the vehicle was first released, Ford marketed the frunk as the ultimate tailgating feature, showing it off as a perfect place to store and serve cold shrimp cocktail.
Ford Mach-E frunk is perfect for chowders and chicken wings, and we’re not even joking
It appears the decision to charge for what is a simple advantage of an EV is not going over well, as even Ford loyal customers say the frunk is a “basic expectation” of an EV. Without it, it seems as if fans feel the company is nickel-and-diming its customers.
It will be pretty interesting to see the Mach-E without a frunk, and while it should not be enough to turn people away from potentially buying the vehicle, it seems the decision to add an additional charge to include one will definitely annoy some customers.
News
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.
The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.
Here’s what they look like in action:
-
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
-
- Credit: u/ObjectiveScratch | Reddit
As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.
There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:
🚨 Tesla is quietly upgrading Matrix headlights.
Software https://t.co/pXEklQiXSq reveals a hidden feature:
matrix_two_stage_reflection_dip
This is a major step beyond current adaptive high beams.
What it means:
• The car detects highly reflective objects
Road signs,… pic.twitter.com/m5UpQJFA2n— BERKANT (@Tesla_NL_TR) February 24, 2026
According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.
Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.
Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.
This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Ford is charging for a basic EV feature on the Mustang Mach-E
Tesla to improve one of its best features, coding shows
