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Tesla launches discounts for Model S and Model X in China

Tesla/Weibo

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Tesla China has rolled out an inventory car purchase incentive for the Model S sedan and Model X SUV. As per an announcement on the company’s official Weibo page, the Model S and Model X line in China can be acquired at discounted prices. 

As per a graphic posted by Tesla China, the Model S Long Range could now be purchased for RMB 773,900 ($106,690), while the Model S Plaid, the electric vehicle maker’s best-performing car in its lineup today, could be purchased for RMB 988,900 ($136,330). 

For comparison, Tesla China’s official website lists the Model S Long Range with a price of RMB 808,900 ($111,515), while the Model S Plaid is listed on the country’s online configurator with a price of RMB 1,028,900 ($141,844). 

The Model X also received some discounts from the electric vehicle maker. As per Tesla’s poster on Weibo, the Model X Long Range could be purchased the RMB 863,900 ($119,097). The Model X Plaid, an all-electric SUV with comparable performance as supercars on the quarter-mile, could be acquired for a discounted price of RMB 1,013,900 ($139,776).

On Tesla China’s official website, the Model X Long Range is listed with a price of RMB 898,900 ($123,922) and the Model X Plaid is listed with a price of RMB 1,058,900 ($145,980). 

Tesla China’s recently shared poster on Weibo listed a number of other incentives for buyers of the Model S and Model X. As per the graphic, if a Model S or Model X is purchased on the recommendation of someone else, the customer will receive an additional RMB 7,000 incentive ($965), free Supercharging for 3 or 6 years, and 90 days of free Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) access. The referrer will receive 48,000 bonus points that can be redeemed for Supercharging miles as well. 

The Tesla Model S and Model X do not sell as many units as their more affordable stablemates, the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover. Despite their relatively low sales figures in comparison to the two mainstream EVs, the Model S and Model X are important parts of Tesla’s lineup. This is because they represent the best that the electric vehicle maker has to offer today. 

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Robotaxi makes major expansion with official public app launch

Tesla officially announced on early Thursday morning that its Robotaxi suite is officially public, launching its separate Robotaxi app to iOS users for the first time, allowing them to test out the driverless ride-hailing platform.

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Tesla has made a major expansion with its Robotaxi platform, marking its official public launch of the app for iOS users.

Tesla has had an active Robotaxi program for two and a half months now, launching it for the first time in Austin, Texas, in late June.

It was not a public beta, as the company extended invitations to a select group of relevant influencers and media in the space, aiming to keep things relatively private until confidence in its performance was established.

Over the past ten weeks, Tesla has expanded its fleet size, its geofence, and its list of invitees on several occasions. However, it was still not offering rides to anyone on the street. That has changed.

Tesla officially announced on early Thursday morning that its Robotaxi suite is officially public, launching its separate Robotaxi app to iOS users for the first time, allowing them to test out the driverless ride-hailing platform:

Once you download the app, you will be put on a waitlist to enter the company’s list of riders. It seems that the earlier you download and join, the sooner you will be able to test one of the company’s driverless Model Y vehicles in the city.

The expansion of the app marks a major achievement for Tesla in the sense that the company is confident to begin allowing more riders to utilize the platform. It may also be looking for a more local consumer base, as many users of the app do not reside in Austin. Tesla may hope to attract more daily users who would utilize Robotaxi for their commute to work, rides to dinner and social events, and other regular uses.

In its nearly three months of operation, Tesla has expanded the Robotaxi geofence in Austin on three occasions, with the most recent bringing the Service Area to 190 square miles.

Tesla Robotaxi geofence expansion enters Plaid Mode and includes a surprise

The most recent growth included new territories, including Giga Texas, the company’s manufacturing facility, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and freeway driving for the first time.

Freeways are where Tesla has taken a slightly different approach, as it will be moving the safety monitor to the driver’s seat for those trips for the time being.

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Elon Musk

Tesla’s next-gen Optimus prototype with Grok revealed

The video shows a new Optimus prototype answering questions and taking some very robotic steps, evidently revealing that the next-generation version is in its early stages of development.

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Tesla’s next-generation Optimus robot with AI assistant Grok has been revealed in a new video shared on X.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff last night, and it appears the frontman gave Benioff an exclusive look at some upcoming technology.

Tesla talks Semi ramp, Optimus, Robotaxi rollout, FSD with Wall Street firm

The video shows a new Optimus prototype answering questions and taking some very robotic steps, evidently revealing that the next-generation version is in its early stages of development. It features Grok for some additional utility, as it answered questions Benioff asked in the short video.

Here’s what was uploaded to X:

It appears that there are several big changes to this next-generation version of Optimus, some of which have been discussed by Musk and Tesla in the past.

The first is purely cosmetic, but the gold color that Optimus is wearing in this is a new and fresh look that we have not seen before.

Perhaps the most interesting change that is evident here is the hands, which are much more detailed than past versions of Optimus:

However, we’re not too sure that these are what will be released with the next-gen Optimus, because they don’t appear to be functional, and they are more reminiscent of mannequin hands than anything.

The hands on Optimus have been a significant part of the program, as they are among the most crucial pieces of equipment on a robot. It needs to be able to perform both delicate and more imposing tasks. Tesla has aimed for Optimus to be able to thread needles or play the piano.

It was one of the most discussed improvements the company mentioned in past comments regarding how it planned to improve from Gen 2 to this next version.

Musk mentioned regarding Optimus:

“Next-generation Optimus hand, which we have in prototype form, has actuators that have moved to the forearm, just like humans, and they operate the fingers through cables, just like human hands.”

Within Optimus lies a significant opportunity for Tesla to gain considerable strength in terms of market share and valuation.

If Tesla can efficiently develop and deploy the humanoid robot over the next several years, the company stands to gain, as companies will utilize it for tasks that require tedious labor.

Musk recently said Optimus will be a major contributor to Tesla’s valuation moving forward. He believes it will make up roughly 80 percent of the company’s value.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk to provide more details for Master Plan Part IV

Musk stated that he would be adding specifics to the plan in a later update.

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Credit: xAI/X

Tesla CEO Elon Musk will be adding more specifics to the recently-released Master Plan Part IV. Musk shared the update on social media platform X amidst conversations about the general nature of the Master Plan Part IV. 

In a conversation on X, Musk responded to a post from Tesla retail shareholder and bull Dave Lee, who observed that the currently released Master Plan Part IV could really just be the introduction to the real plan due to its absence of specifics.

Elon Musk responded, stating that he would be adding specifics to the plan in a later update. “Fair enough. Will add more specifics,” Musk wrote in his post.

Tesla has been following Elon Musk’s Master Plans for decades. The first Master Plan, released in 2006, outlined the company’s path from the original Tesla Roadster to the Model 3, as well as the first steps for Tesla Energy. Master Plan Part Deux, released in 2016, covered the ramp of Tesla Energy, the expansion of Tesla’s vehicle lineup, and the rollout of a Robotaxi service.

Master Plan Part 3 was more ambitious as it was generally an in-depth proposal for achieving a global sustainable entry economy by transitioning to electricity-powered vehicles, homes, and industry, which will, in turn, be powered by renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Master Plan Part 3 also included a five-step plan to accomplish this, allowing the world to transition to a fully electrified future. 

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Master Plan Part IV, which was released a few days ago, focused on automation and artificial intelligence to achieve sustainable abundance. But while the first two Master Plans were very clear and specific and Master Plan Part 3 was very in-depth, Master Plan Part IV was quite general and vague in comparison. It was easy to tell that Optimus would play a big role in the pursuit of sustainable abundance, but apart from that, there were no specifics as to how Tesla intended to achieve its goals.

Fortunately, these specifics would be discussed by Musk in a later update to the plan.

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