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Tesla Model 3 Power Sports wheel with aero cover makes grand debut in China as test drives begin
Test drives of the Tesla Performance Model 3 opened yesterday in Shanghai and, as to be expected, pictures of the Chinese variation of the electric car have surfaced online. In photos shared by Twitter user JayinShangahai, in-person glimpses have been captured of the vehicle, including the new 19-inch “Power Sports” wheels, both with and without their aero covers. The Model 3 wheel variation was first spotted in Tesla’s online vehicle configurator for the Chinese market but isn’t yet available in the US.
The Power Sports wheels are said to increase range efficiency and, when used with their aerodynamic hubcaps, “better adapt to different road conditions”, per their description on Tesla’s Chinese Model 3 Design Studio. A similar performance wheel variation is offered in the US market, however the size and appearance are slightly different. The Aero Wheels offered for the North American Model 3 are 18″ as opposed to the 19″ size of the Power Sports version, and the overall design has been reworked from a 5-hole, black/grey style to a 7-hole, silver/grey style. It should also be noted that the Power Sports wheel is only offered on the Model 3 Performance – the Long Range AWD variation will come with either the Aero Wheels or Sports Wheels styles found in North American versions.
- Model 3 Performance Power Sports Wheels on display in China. | Credit: Twitter/@ShanghaiJayin
- Model 3 Performance Power Sports Wheels on display in China. | Credit: Twitter/@ShanghaiJayin
- Model 3 Performance Power Sports Wheels on display in China. | Credit: Twitter/@ShanghaiJayin
- Model 3 Performance Power Sports Wheels on display in China. | Credit: Twitter/@ShanghaiJayin
- Model 3 Performance Power Sports Wheels on display in China. | Credit: Twitter/@ShanghaiJayin
- Model 3 Performance Power Sports Wheels on display in China. | Credit: Twitter/@ShanghaiJayin
- Model 3 Performance Power Sports Wheels on display in China. | Credit: Twitter/@ShanghaiJayin
- Model 3 Performance Power Sports Wheels on display in China. | Credit: Twitter/@ShanghaiJayin
The first batch of Tesla’s Performance Model 3 China edition vehicles arrived about a week ago in Hong Kong. Per the online configurator, delivery of the Dual Motor Model 3 variation is supposed to begin sometime in March, and an additional Standard Range version is slated for mid-2019, completing the full Tesla lineup available to the company’s Chinese customers. The still-unreleased Model Y crossover SUV was originally thought to be part of the all-electric car maker’s coming production plans in China, but in yesterday’s 2018 Full Year Report, Tesla indicated that Gigafactory 1 in Sparks, Nevada would likely be the initial manufacturing site.
Tesla is likely planning on deliveries into China being short-lived in favor of in-country production at its recently ground broken Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai, primarily as a matter of financial sense. An extra 25% import tariff is placed on cars originating in the US, significantly increasing the price of any American vehicles brought into the country. China recently agreed to suspend the extra tariff; however, the suspension is scheduled to end on April 1, 2019. Tesla adjusted their vehicle pricing accordingly with the hope of using the lower tariff advantage to ramp up sales, a plan which was successful. Even still, though, general import taxes remain in force, meaning the electric vehicle manufacturer would need to further reduce tax barriers to truly expand and compete throughout China. Manufacturing Tesla’s cars in Shanghai would accomplish this.
Tesla Model 3 is available for test drive in China 🇨🇳. Starting from TODAY! Just booked mine for tomorrow! Any tips for my first Model 3 Performance test drive? Bonus photo closer look at the 19” Aero Wheels with cap on #Tesla #TeslaChina #Model3Performance #TestDrive pic.twitter.com/adn6YQBGD3
— Jay in Shanghai 电动 Jay 🇨🇳 (@JayinShanghai) January 31, 2019
The Tesla Model 3 Performance is expected to become a strong contender in China’s high-performance sedan market. With a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 3.5 seconds offered at a rival-undercutting price of 560,000 RMB (around $81,000), the value of the vehicle overall speaks for itself. Once Gigafactory 3 is up and running – initial construction is expected to be completed this summer – it is anticipated to reach high volume production shortly thereafter and enter the Chinese market as a true local competitor for other manufacturers doing business in the country.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X will start using a Tesla-like software update strategy
The initiative seems designed to accelerate updates to the social media platform, while maintaining maximum transparency.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X will adopt a Tesla-esque approach to software updates for its algorithm.
The initiative seems designed to accelerate updates to the social media platform, while maintaining maximum transparency.
X’s updates to its updates
As per Musk in a post on X, the social media company will be making a new algorithm to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users. These updates would then be repeated every four weeks.
“We will make the new 𝕏 algorithm, including all code used to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users, open source in 7 days. This will be repeated every 4 weeks, with comprehensive developer notes, to help you understand what changed,” Musk wrote in his post.
The initiative somewhat mirrors Tesla’s over-the-air update model, where vehicle software is regularly refined and pushed to users with detailed release notes. This should allow users to better understand the details of X’s every update and foster a healthy feedback loop for the social media platform.
xAI and X
X, formerly Twitter, has been acquired by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI last year. Since then, xAI has seen a rapid rise in valuation. Following the company’s the company’s upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, estimates now suggest that xAI is worth tens about $230 to $235 billion. That’s several times larger than Tesla when Elon Musk received his controversial 2018 CEO Performance Award.
As per xAI, the Series E funding round attracted a diverse group of investors, including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among others. Strategic partners NVIDIA and Cisco Investments also continued support for building the world’s largest GPU clusters.
News
Tesla FSD Supervised wins MotorTrend’s Best Driver Assistance Award
The decision marks a notable reversal for the publication from prior years, with judges citing major real-world improvements that pushed Tesla’s latest FSD software ahead of every competing ADAS system.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has been named the best driver-assistance technology on the market, earning top honors at the 2026 MotorTrend Best Tech Awards.
The decision marks a notable reversal for the publication from prior years, with judges citing major real-world improvements that pushed Tesla’s latest FSD software ahead of every competing ADAS system. And it wasn’t even close.
MotorTrend reverses course
MotorTrend awarded Tesla FSD (Supervised) its 2026 Best Tech Driver Assistance title after extensive testing of the latest v14 software. The publication acknowledged that it had previously criticized earlier versions of FSD for erratic behavior and near-miss incidents, ultimately favoring rivals such as GM’s Super Cruise in earlier evaluations.
According to MotorTrend, the newest iteration of FSD resolved many of those shortcomings. Testers said v14 showed far smoother behavior in complex urban scenarios, including unprotected left turns, traffic circles, emergency vehicles, and dense city streets. While the system still requires constant driver supervision, judges concluded that no other advanced driver-assistance system currently matches its breadth of capability.
Unlike rival systems that rely on combinations of cameras, radar, lidar, and mapped highways, Tesla’s FSD operates using a camera-only approach and is capable of driving on city streets, rural roads, and freeways. MotorTrend stated that pure utility, the ability to handle nearly all road types, ultimately separated FSD from competitors like Ford BlueCruise, GM Super Cruise, and BMW’s Highway Assistant.
High cost and high capability
MotorTrend also addressed FSD’s pricing, which remains significantly higher than rival systems. Tesla currently charges $8,000 for a one-time purchase or $99 per month for a subscription, compared with far lower upfront and subscription costs from other automakers. The publication noted that the premium is justified given FSD’s unmatched scope and continuous software evolution.
Safety remained a central focus of the evaluation. While testers reported collision-free operation over thousands of miles, they noted ongoing concerns around FSD’s configurable driving modes, including options that allow aggressive driving and speeds beyond posted limits. MotorTrend emphasized that, like all Level 2 systems, FSD still depends on a fully attentive human driver at all times.
Despite those caveats, the publication concluded that Tesla’s rapid software progress fundamentally reshaped the competitive landscape. For drivers seeking the most capable hands-on driver-assistance system available today, MotorTrend concluded Tesla FSD (Supervised) now stands alone at the top.
News
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia surges to 5.6M articles, almost 79% of English Wikipedia
The explosive growth marks a major milestone for the AI-powered online encyclopedia, which was launched by Elon Musk’s xAI just months ago.
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia has grown to an impressive 5,615,201 articles as of today, closing in on 79% of the English Wikipedia’s current total of 7,119,376 articles.
The explosive growth marks a major milestone for the AI-powered online encyclopedia, which was launched by Elon Musk’s xAI just months ago. Needless to say, it would only be a matter of time before Grokipedia exceeds English Wikipedia in sheer volume.
Grokipedia’s rapid growth
xAI’s vision for Grokipedia emphasizes neutrality, while Grok’s reasoning capabilities allow for fast drafting and fact-checking. When Elon Musk announced the initiative in late September 2025, he noted that Grokipedia would be an improvement to Wikipedia because it would be designed to avoid bias.
At the time, Musk noted that Grokipedia “is a necessary step towards the xAI goal of understanding the Universe.”
Grokipedia was launched in late October, and while xAI was careful to list it only as Version 0.1 at the time, the online encyclopedia immediately earned praise. Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger highlighted the project’s innovative approach, noting how it leverages AI to fill knowledge gaps and enable rapid updates. Netizens also observed how Grokipedia tends to present articles in a more objective manner compared to Wikipedia, which is edited by humans.
Elon Musk’s ambitious plans
With 5,615,201 total articles, Grokipedia has now grown to almost 79% of English Wikipedia’s article base. This is incredibly quick, though Grokipedia remains text-only for now. xAI, for its part, has now updated the online encyclopedia’s iteration to v0.2.
Elon Musk has shared bold ideas for Grokipedia, including sending a record of the entire knowledge base to space as part of xAI’s mission to preserve and expand human understanding. At some point, Musk stated that Grokipedia will be renamed to Encyclopedia Galactica, and it will be sent to the cosmos.
“When Grokipedia is good enough (long way to go), we will change the name to Encyclopedia Galactica. It will be an open source distillation of all knowledge, including audio, images and video. Join xAI to help build the sci-fi version of the Library of Alexandria!” Musk wrote, adding in a later post that “Copies will be etched in stone and sent to the Moon, Mars and beyond. This time, it will not be lost.”







