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Tesla Model 3 is winning over China’s growing middle class
The success of the Tesla Model 3 with China’s growing middle class is helping the company deepen its business in the country’s competitive automotive landscape and the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Thanks to China’s economic growth in recent decades, the country has seen the emergence of a growing middle class. Pew Research estimates that between 2001 and 2011 alone, more than 203 million people crossed the threshold into the middle class in China. By 2015, Credit Suisse concluded that China had overtaken the US as the country with the largest middle class. The Global Business Policy Council further noted that by 2025, estimates point to private consumption in China being the largest contributor to the country’s economic growth.
Similar to the United States’ middle class and the concept of “keeping up with the Joneses,” China’s middle class appear to be increasingly motivated by the concept of “keeping up with the Wangs.” As such, purchases that improve one’s social image, such as premium gadgets and clothing, have become commonplace. This is the demographic that Tesla can perfectly capture with the Model 3, as it is a vehicle that offers premium electric mobility at a price point far more attainable than the company’s previous offerings, the Model S and X, which have become popular status symbols for the wealthy.
Currently, the Model 3 starts at 433,000 yuan (around $64,000) in China, and Tesla has even started offering free Autopilot as a limited time offer. These strategies will likely attract the attention of middle class buyers in the country, at least until Gigafactory 3 comes to life later this year. If Elon Musk’s estimates prove accurate, Tesla can start making affordable variants of the Model 3 in China, which will be even more attainable to consumers.
Apart from the Model 3 being Tesla’s most affordable vehicle in China today, other factors that seem to be helping the electric sedan include the country’s growing middle class and the nation’s open support for electric vehicles. China has adopted a friendly stance towards electric cars, and it is becoming evident in the country’s automotive sales.
In 2018, for example, electric vehicle sales in China rose 83% year-on-year, allowing the country to push more than 1 million EVs over the year. These figures become even more notable considering that overall light-duty vehicle sales in the country actually declined by 2.76% in 2018, as noted by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
Local news reports note that Tesla sales sank 15.4% year-over-year in 2018 as the Model S sedan and Model X SUV were weighed down by steep tariffs resulting from the trade war between the United States and China. With this in mind, the immense interest being generated by the Model 3 among the country’s car buyers has been a very pleasant surprise.
It is undeniable that Tesla’s business in China has seen its ups and downs over the years. Despite challenges such as the initial issues with Model S deliveries in the past to the effects of the recent US-China trade war, the company’s electric cars have nonetheless kept their place as one of the ultimate status symbols for consumers. With the Model 3 just about ready to saturate China, Tesla can finally tap into what could be a very lucrative market.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk shares updated Starship V3 maiden launch target date
The comment was posted on Musk’s official account on social media platform X.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared a brief Starship V3 update in a post on social media platform X, stating the next launch attempt of the spacecraft could take place in about four weeks.
The comment was posted on Musk’s official account on social media platform X.
Musk’s update suggests that Starship Flight 12 could target a launch around early April, though the schedule will depend on several remaining milestones at SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in Texas.
Among the key steps is testing and certification of the site’s new launch tower, launch mount, and tank farm systems. These upgrades will support the next generation of Starship vehicles.
Booster 19 is expected to roll to the launch site and be placed on the launch mount before returning to the production facility to receive its 33 Raptor engines. The booster would then return for a static fire test, which could mark the first time a Super Heavy booster equipped with Raptor V3 engines is fired on the pad.
Ship 39 is expected to undergo a similar preparation process. The vehicle will likely return to the production site to receive its six engines before heading to Massey’s test site for static fire testing.
Once both stages are prepared, the booster and ship will roll out to the launch site for the first full stack of a V3 Super Heavy and V3 Starship. A full wet dress rehearsal is expected to follow before any launch attempt.
Elon Musk has previously shared how SpaceX plans to eventually recover Starship’s upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms. Musk noted that the company will only attempt to catch the Starship spacecraft after two successful soft landings in the ocean. The approach is intended to reduce risk before attempting a recovery over land.
“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Such a milestone would represent a major step toward the full reuse of the Starship system, which remains a central goal for SpaceX’s long-term launch strategy.
News
Tesla opens first public Tesla Semi Megacharger site in Los Angeles
The development was highlighted in a post on social media platform X by the official Tesla Semi account.
Tesla has opened its first public Tesla Semi Megacharger site in Los Angeles. The station reportedly offers up to 750 kW charging speeds and is open to Tesla Semi customers.
The development was highlighted in a post on social media platform X by the official Tesla Semi account.
Tesla Semi Megachargers
The Los Angeles site seems to be the first public Tesla Semi Megacharger that is not located at a Tesla factory. It is also the third Megacharger site currently visible on Tesla’s map.
The Megacharger system is designed specifically for the Tesla Semi and is capable of delivering extremely high charging speeds to support long-haul trucking operations. Infrastructure such as this will likely play a key role in making the Semi competitive with diesel-powered transport trucks.
Tesla’s progress with the Semi has also drawn attention in recent days after Elon Musk biographer Ashlee Vance shared photos from inside the Tesla Semi factory near Giga Nevada. The images suggested that preparations for higher production volumes may be underway, hinting that a broader ramp of the Tesla Semi’s production indeed be approaching.
New deployment strategies
Tesla has continued expanding its broader charging network through several new strategies aimed at accelerating infrastructure deployment. One of these initiatives is the Supercharger for Business program, which allows third parties to purchase Tesla Supercharger equipment and deploy charging stations while still integrating with Tesla’s network.
The program recently marked a milestone in Alpharetta, Georgia, where the city deployed four 325 kW city-branded Superchargers near the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety on Old Milton Parkway. The chargers support the city’s Tesla Model Y police vehicles while also remaining accessible to the public.
As per a report from EVwire, the project was designed not only to support fleet charging but also to generate economic returns that could offset the city’s investment. Tesla’s Supercharger for Business program has already attracted several participants, including businesses and charging providers such as Suncoast Charging, Pie Safe bakery in Idaho, Francis Energy in Oklahoma, and Wawa convenience stores.
Elon Musk
The Boring Company’s Vegas Loop moves 82k riders during CONEXPO
The Loop’s feat was highlighted by The Boring Company in a post on its official account on social media platform X.
The Boring Company said its Vegas Loop system transported roughly 82,000 passengers during the recent CONEXPO-CON/AGG construction trade show in Las Vegas. The event was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) from March 3-7, 2026.
The Loop’s feat was highlighted by The Boring Company in a post on its official account on social media platform X.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026
CONEXPO-CON/AGG is one of the largest construction trade shows in North America. This year’s event was quite impressive, attracting more than 140,000 construction professionals from 128 countries across the world.
Considering the number of this year’s attendees, the LVCC Loop seemed to have proven itself to be a very useful transportation solution. A video posted by The Boring Company on its official X account featured attendees expressing their enthusiasm for the underground transport system, with some stating that they would like to see similar tunnels across Las Vegas.
The LVCC Loop is only part of the greater Vegas Loop network, which is actively under construction.
New Vegas Loop extensions
One of the newest additions is a station at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas resort on the Strip. The station is located on level V-1 of the resort’s south valet area, according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. From the Fontainebleau, passengers can travel free of charge to stations serving the Las Vegas Convention Center, as well as to Loop stations at Encore and Westgate.
The system is also expanding beyond the Strip corridor. In December, The Boring Company began offering Vegas Loop rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport. These trips include a limited above-ground segment after receiving approval from the Nevada Transportation Authority to allow surface street travel tied to Loop operations.
The Boring Company President Steve Davis previously told the Review-Journal that the University Center Loop segment, which is currently under construction, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. The extension would allow Loop vehicles to travel beneath Paradise Road between the convention center and the airport, with a planned station just north of Tropicana Avenue.
Elon Musk shares updated Starship V3 maiden launch target date
Tesla opens first public Tesla Semi Megacharger site in Los Angeles
