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Tesla’s Elon Musk hailed as ‘Disruptor of the Year’ in Detroit, but Model 3 misses awards
Tesla might not be a participant in the North American International Auto Show on Monday, but Elon Musk’s presence could still be felt in the event. During the CNET Roadshow Shift Awards, Musk was named as “Disruptor of the Year,” beating out the CEOs of other companies such as McLaren Automotive and Bird, an electric scooter-share startup.
Chris Paukert, executive editor of the auto publication, noted that the Disruptor of the Year award is based on the person who caused the most ripples in the auto industry during the past year. In this sense, there is very little doubt that Musk was the definite choice, considering his well-publicized challenges and successes with the Model 3 ramp, as well as his daring, out-of-the-box strategies that ultimately brought Tesla into the green in Q3.
“This award is all about pushing the industry forward and leaving a lasting impact on the future of the automotive industry. Elon Musk fits that bill to a T. After smoothing out its production process, Tesla once again proved profitable. The Model 3 quickly launched itself to prominence in an already busy segment, and buyers themselves could feel the effects of those launches thanks to its wild Performance variant. Hell, he even made tunnels interesting,” CNET‘s Tim Stevens wrote.
While the auto publication granted Elon Musk an award, though, Tesla’s latest and most disruptive vehicle to date — the Model 3 — was strangely absent from the auto publication’s rankings. CNET Roadshow, for one, awarded the Genesis G70, a car that has received acclaim from critics and consumers alike, as Vehicle of the Year. Finalists for the award were the Jaguar I-Pace and Volvo S60/V60. The award for Cabin Tech of the Year was also granted to Audi’s MMI touch response system, with the finalists being Mercedes-Benz’ MBUX infotainment system and Ram’s Uconnect 12 technology.
That said, Tesla’s technology did make an appearance in the Roadshow Shift Awards’ other categories. Roadshow‘s Driveline Tech of the Year award, for one, was given to Nissan and Infiniti’s variable compression turbo, though finalists included Hyundai’s Kona electric powertrain and Tesla’s all-wheel-drive performance powertrain. Together with GM’s advance trailering system with apps, Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot update was listed as a finalist in Safest Tech of the Year award as well. Audi’s drive-assistance package, though, ultimately bagged the award for Safety Tech of the Year.
The absence of the Model 3 in the CNET Roadshow Shift Awards is quite notable, considering that the electric sedan has received wide acclaim from professional reviewers, auto veterans like Sandy Munro, and owners alike. Tesla’s UI for its vehicles, which the company develops in-house, is also among the best in the market, with the system at times being compared to Apple’s iOS. As such, it is quite interesting to see Tesla be beaten by legacy auto in areas where it otherwise excels, such as cabin tech.
That said, it’s not like the Tesla Model 3 is being ignored by legacy auto either. Late last month, for example, 30-year auto news veteran and longtime car enthusiast Henry Payne dubbed the Tesla Model 3 as The Detroit News‘ 2018 Car of the Year. This was despite Payne only experiencing the capabilities of a Long Range RWD Model 3, a tamer version of the electric car compared to the range-topping, track-optimized Model 3 Performance. Following the Tesla Model 3 were the Ford Ranger and the Chevy Corvette ZR1, which were listed as the 2nd and 1st runner up for The Detroit News‘ 2018 Car of the Year award.
The past year has been notably impressive for the Model 3. Over 2018, 145,846 Model 3 were sold, despite Tesla being challenged with the electric sedan’s production during Q1 and Q2. With these sales figures, the Model 3 became the United States’ best-selling luxury vehicle, far overtaking its closest rival — the Lexus RX, which sold 111,641 in 2018. Tesla is not done, either, as the company intends to continue the electric sedan’s ramp all the way to 10,000 units per week.
It should be noted that the Model 3 has been showing these impressive numbers despite the vehicle only being available in the United States and Canada. This year, Tesla intends to bring the car to the international stage, starting with Europe and China, both of which represent a potentially lucrative market for the electric sedan. Tesla for one, is reportedly shipping 3,000 Model 3 per week to the European region starting in February. In China, Model 3 reservation holders who have configured their vehicles are expecting deliveries on March or April. By the end of the year, Tesla is set to roll out more affordable versions of the electric sedan to the local Chinese market, thanks to the vehicle production capabilities of Gigafactory 3.
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The Trump Administration today made several key moves to help with the deployment of autonomous vehicles by cutting overreaching red tape that has stifled growth and innovation for years.
The moves, which were put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), aim to grant temporary exemptions to at least one company currently, although that could expand in the coming months. Additionally, it will work with organizations to develop standards and a sound but efficient regulatory landscape.
Zoox is the only company mentioned explicitly by the Trump Administration in its press release announcing the new terms today. They will receive a temporary two-year exemption that will allow the commercial deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles annually for two years.
There is a potential exemption for Robomart, Inc., which “requests a temporary exemption from certain FMVSS No. 500 requirements for a low-speed vehicle operated by an ADS without a human driver onboard. NHTSA will publish a separate notice seeking public comment on its merits once the initial evaluation is complete,” the agency said.
Here are the five new terms that Secretary Sean Duffy has implemented through the NHTSA today:
- Allow Zoox to commercially deploy its robotaxis through a temporary exemption.
This temporary exemption will allow the commercial deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles annually for two years, subject to an enhanced, adaptable oversight structure that can evolve as Zoox’s technology advances. - Accelerate development of first-ever AV performance standards through a partnership with SAE Industry Technologies Consortia (ITC).
This partnership will fund a three-year, $5 million “A2SCEND” consortium, bringing together experts to gather data and accelerate creation of the first-ever AV performance standards. This project will inform a single national standard for AV safety to eliminate the patchwork regulatory landscape that has stifled innovation for years. - Publish an interim final rule that allows vehicles manufactured prior to an exemption to be eligible for a commercial deployment exemption.
This rule will modernize the application process and improve access to exemptions for innovators, including AV developers, by granting the NHTSA Administrator the discretion to apply temporary exemptions to vehicles manufactured prior to the effective date of an exemption grant. - Streamline the application process for Part 555 exemptions by updating guidance and soliciting feedback from the public.
By updating the Part 555 exemption process—which allows automakers to temporarily sell a limited number of non-compliant vehicles, primarily to test new technologies—NHTSA is aiming to create a more flexible oversight structure for exemptions and summarize recent AV framework activities, including expanded exemption pathways, streamlined crash reporting, and ongoing efforts to modernize Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). - Establish a new Federal Docket for public feedback on NHTSA’s updated safe AV development and deployment guidance.
NHTSA is updating its technical guidance for AVs for the first time since 2017—focusing on key safety areas like emergency responder interactions, safety management systems, remote assistance, and post-crash behavior to help the industry scale up driverless deployments safely.
Additionally, the NHTSA said it has modernized some safety standards by proposing updates to:
- FMVSS 102 – Transmission shifting
- FMVSS 103/104 – Windshield defrosting and wiping
- FMVSS 110 – Tire placards
- FMVSS 135 – Braking systems
- FMVSS 101 – Controls and displays
- FMVSS 108 – Vehicle lighting
- FMVSS 111 – Mirrors and rearview display
- FMVSS 126 – Electronic stability control systems
- FMVSS 201/208 – Sun visors and warning labels
These changes aim to make the regulatory process for autonomous vehicles more streamlined and efficient, which could help the U.S. gain dominance over autonomous vehicle systems moving forward.
Elon Musk is, in many respects, one of the biggest and most influential figures in modern-day artificial intelligence.
Given that Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI are all looked at in their respective fields as leaders to an extent, each of them has a heavy influence on the future of AI, even though two of them are not thought of, at face value, as AI companies.
Musk has grand expectations for what is to come with AI, not only as a form of assistance to make human lives easier, but to make humans multiplanetary and solve some of the biggest issues that face us today. But even he is astounded by AI’s pace of progress.
He believes that in two years, AI will be so mind-blowing it might be unrecognizable.
Given that AI from 2 years ago feels so old that it should be in a museum, then obviously AI 2 years from now will be mind-blowing https://t.co/TcsKZ8o8OE
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2026
This progress can be seen in a variety of ways, but perhaps the most popular way people have shown AI’s progress, especially on social media, is through an incredibly arbitrary way of watching Will Smith eat spaghetti:
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The progression in AI of Will Smith eating spaghetti (2023 – 2026) pic.twitter.com/VDv82mB5gs
— internet hall of fame (@InternetH0F) February 10, 2026
This is a great way to show people how AI is improving, especially from a perspective that examines how it can manufacture images and video from prompts. AI is an incredibly complex concept, however, and it goes much deeper than Will Smith eating Italian food.
Musk’s most widely adopted method of AI is likely Tesla Full Self-Driving, which impacts millions of people as they utilize it to increase safety with their travel. Musk has routinely pushed incredibly aggressive timelines for self-driving, especially unsupervised.
Perhaps this perspective is why he feels that things will be solved in a timeframe that is much more aggressive than most of us would think. Regardless, the progress of AI is moving fast, and it seems that Musk’s expectations for it could be high.
But if it can actually achieve full-length motion pictures and even more realistic production value, it will be hard to distinguish between reality and AI very soon.
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Tesla just officially confirmed it has built its 10 millionth car, a major milestone for the company that started producing sustainable electric powertrains less than two decades ago.
In that time, Tesla has truly revolutionized the automotive industry, disrupting the idea of what a car should be, how it should be fueled, and how it truly impacts day-to-day life.
10 million vehicles produced globally.
Congrats to all Tesla teams! pic.twitter.com/JkcraR63bs— Tesla Manufacturing (@gigafactories) July 30, 2026
Tesla achieved this feat across four production facilities: the Fremont Factory in Fremont, California, Gigafactory Shanghai in China, Gigafactory Berlin in Germany, and Gigafactory Texas in Austin, Texas.
The 10 millionth vehicle was a Diamond Black Model Y.
Over the course of the past roughly 18 years, Tesla has evolved its lineup from a sporty sedan built on a Lotus body to a lineup of various body styles, performance metrics, and other characteristics that make each one unique.
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This is an incredible achievement for a company that is young compared to what it goes up against. When Tesla entered the automotive market, Ford, GM, and Stellantis widely dominated the playing field. Since then, Tesla has caused such a disruption that these three massive brands had to scramble to create EV projects of their own.
Despite their best efforts, they have not been able to match the prowess or the effectiveness of Tesla. They are all reliant on Tesla’s charging infrastructure, their software is inferior, and their self-driving projects are elementary in comparison.
Tesla felt its fair share of growing pains over the years as well. As recent at 2019, there were complaints about build quality, paint quality, and overall luxuriousness. These things have all been improved upon through the company’s maturity, and these strides in quality have led to this 10 million vehicle production achievement, something that other small-and-scrappy EV makers will hope to accomplish one day.
Autonomous vehicle red tape gets slashed by Trump Administration
Elon Musk has a crazy prediction about AI in two years
