Investor's Corner
Tesla Model 3 production in Gigafactory 3 could ‘make a gazillion bucks:’ teardown expert
Earlier today, Tesla’s Gigafactory in China, which is expected to produce the affordable versions of the Model 3 and the Model Y, held its groundbreaking event. During the ceremony, Elon Musk was optimistic, stating that Tesla would likely start producing the electric sedan in the facility sometime before the end of the year.
If automotive veteran and teardown expert Sandy Munro’s insights are any indication, building the Model 3 in China is definitely the correct strategy for the electric car maker. In a recent appearance in YouTube’s Autoline Network channel, Munro remarked that if Tesla optimizes the Model 3’s production in China, the electric vehicle will generate a lot of profit for the company.
“When (Elon Musk) takes (the Model 3) to China, (Tesla’s) gonna make a gazillion bucks. I guarantee it,” Munro remarked.
Munro has not always been impressed with the Model 3 and its potential. Quite the contrary. When he started his teardown of an early production Model 3, Munro was aghast, comparing the build quality of the vehicle to a Kia from the 1990s and remarking that he “can’t imagine how (Tesla) released this (car).” After going through the vehicle’s panel gaps and what he believes are design flaws on the Model 3’s body, Munro summarized his observations by stating that “this thing is a miserable job.”
A few months later, Munro was singing a different tune. In a later segment on the auto-themed YouTube channel, the teardown expert noted that he had to “eat a lot of crow” when his team finished their analysis of the Model 3. Munro noted that while the vehicle’s bodywork left much to be desired, everything from the suspension of the Model 3 to its battery pack was a feat of engineering. The electric car’s batteries were top-notch, the ride was great, and the electronics were comparable to military-grade tech.
Most of all, Munro noted that the Model 3 will be profitable for Tesla, especially due to the company’s vertical integration and possible efficiencies in the vehicle’s construction. Before Munro could discuss his findings further, though, Autoline Network host John McElroy mentioned in a following episode of the program that Munro was being threatened with a lawsuit by an entity connected to his Model 3 teardown and analysis. Since then, Munro’s insights were shuttered — or so it seemed.
The automotive teardown expert finally made his return on Autoline Network in a recent episode. Returning to the show, Munro had a set of new updates and insights about his team’s Model 3 teardown. While Munro maintains that the Model 3’s body was over-engineered, he did note that “the good part is everything else.” The auto veteran pointed out that the Model 3 had the best electronics his team has ever seen, it had the lowest number of hoses, 40% less harnesses, and the electric motors are smaller, lighter, and more powerful than the competition.
“They’ve got magic. The electric motor is smaller and lighter than everybody else, but outperforms everybody,” Munro said.
With regards to Tesla’s Gigafactory 3 push and the production of the Model 3 on the site, Munro proved optimistic. The auto veteran even noted that Tesla’s Model 3 lines in China would likely be a lot more optimized than those in the United States.
“Elon made a few mistakes on that body. You think he’s gonna do it again? I don’t. You think the production lines are gonna be as bad as in California? I don’t. I think the factory in China is going to be wicked compared to what they’ve got in the States, and I think he’s going to be able to clobber everyone in China,” he said.
With Tesla accelerating the timeline for Gigafactory 3’s construction, the company can only hope that the Model 3 — its most disruptive vehicle in its lineup — could do its magic in the largest auto market in the world.
Watch Sandy Munro’s recent appearance at Autoline Network in the video below.
Elon Musk
SpaceX just filed for the IPO everyone was waiting for
SpaceX filed its public S-1, revealing $18.7 billion in revenue and billions in losses.
SpaceX publicly filed its S-1 registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20, 2026, making its financial details available to the public for the first time ahead of what could be the largest IPO in history.
An S-1 is the formal document a company must submit to the SEC before going public. It includes audited financials, risk factors, business descriptions, and how the company plans to use the money it raises. Companies are required to file one before selling shares to the public, and it must be published at least 15 days before the investor roadshow begins. SpaceX had already submitted a confidential draft to the SEC in April, which allowed regulators to review the filing privately before it went public.
The S-1 reveals that SpaceX generated $18.7 billion in consolidated revenue in 2025, driven largely by its Starlink satellite internet division, which posted $11.4 billion in revenue, growing nearly 50% year over year. Despite that growth, the company lost about $4.9 billion in 2025 and has burned through more than $37 billion since its founding.
SpaceX just forced Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile to team up for the first time in history
A significant portion of those losses trace back to xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, which was recently merged into SpaceX. SpaceX directed roughly 60% of its capital spending in 2025 to its AI division, totaling around $20 billion, yet that division lost billions and grew revenue by only about 22%.
SpaceX plans to list its Class A common stock on Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX, with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America leading the offering. The dual-class share structure means going public will not meaningfully reduce Musk’s control, as Class B shares he holds carry 10 votes per share compared to one vote for public Class A shares.
The company is targeting a raise of around $75 billion at a valuation of roughly $1.75 trillion, which would make it the largest IPO ever. The investor roadshow is reportedly planned for June 5.
Elon Musk
Tesla ditches India after years of broken promises
Tesla has ditched its plans to build a factory in India after years of failed negotiations.
Tesla’s long-running effort to establish a manufacturing presence in India is officially over. India’s Minister of Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy confirmed on May 19, 2026 that Tesla has informed authorities it will not proceed with a manufacturing facility in the country.
Tesla first signaled serious interest in India around 2021, when it began hiring local staff and lobbying the Indian government for lower import tariffs. The ask was straightforward: reduce duties enough for Tesla to test the market with imported vehicles before committing capital to a local factory. India’s position was equally firm, with an ask of Tesla to commit to manufacturing first, then receive tariff relief. Neither side moved, and the talks quietly collapsed.
Tesla to open first India experience center in Mumbai on July 15
India had offered a policy that would reduce import duties from 110% down to 15% on EVs priced above $35,000, provided companies committed at least $500 million toward local manufacturing investment within three years. Tesla declined to participate. The tariff standoff was only part of the problem. Analysts pointed to significant gaps in India’s local supply chain, inadequate industrial infrastructure, and a mismatch between Tesla’s premium pricing and the purchasing power of India’s automotive market as additional factors that made the investment difficult to justify.
First signs of an unraveling relationship came in April 2024, when Musk abruptly cancelled a planned trip to India where he was set to meet Prime Minister Modi and announce Tesla’s market entry. By July 2024, Fortune reported that Tesla executives had stopped contacting Indian government officials entirely. The government at that point understood Tesla had capital constraints and no plans to invest.
The more fundamental issue is that Tesla’s existing factories are currently operating at approximately 60% capacity, making a commitment to building new manufacturing capacity in a new market difficult to defend to investors. Tesla will continue selling imported Model Y vehicles through its existing showrooms in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru, but local production is no longer part of the plan.
Elon Musk
SpaceX just forced Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile to team up for the first time in history
AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon just joined forces for one reason: Starlink is winning.
America’s three largest wireless carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, announced on On May 14, 2026 that they had agreed in principle to form a joint venture aimed at pooling their spectrum resources to expand satellite-based direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity across the United States in what can be seen as a direct response to SpaceX’s Starlink initiative. D2D, in plain terms, is technology that lets a standard smartphone connect directly to a satellite in orbit, the same way it connects to a cell tower, with no extra hardware required.
The alliance is widely seen as a means to slow Starlink’s rapid expansion in the satellite internet and mobile markets. SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile service launched commercially in July 2025 through a partnership with T-Mobile, starting with messaging before expanding to broadband data. SpaceX secured access to valuable wireless spectrum through its $17 billion deal with EchoStar, paving the way for significantly faster satellite-to-phone speeds.
SpaceX was not shy about its reaction. SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell responded on X: “Weeeelllll, I guess Starlink Mobile is doing something right! It’s David and Goliath (X3) all over again — I’m bettin’ on David.” SpaceX’s VP of Satellite Policy David Goldman went further, flagging potential antitrust concerns and asking whether the DOJ would even allow three dominant competitors to coordinate in a market where a new rival is actively entering.
Weeeelllll, I guess @Starlink Mobile is doing something right! It’s David and Goliath (X3) all over again — I’m bettin’ on David 🙂 https://t.co/5GzS752mxL
— Gwynne Shotwell (@Gwynne_Shotwell) May 14, 2026
Financial analysts at LightShed Partners were blunt, saying the announcement showed the three carriers are “nervous,” and pointed to the timing: “You announce an agreement in principle when the point is the announcement, not the deal. The timing, weeks ahead of the SpaceX roadshow, was the point.”
As Teslarati reported, SpaceX’s next generation Starlink V2 satellites will deliver up to 100 times the data density of the current system, with custom silicon and phased array antennas enabling around 20 times the throughput of the first generation. The carriers’ JV, which has no definitive agreement, no financial structure, and no deployment timeline yet, will need to move quickly to matter.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is targeting a Nasdaq listing as early as June 12, aiming for what would be the largest IPO in history. With Starlink now serving over 9 million subscribers across 155 countries, holding 59 carrier partnerships globally, and now powering Air Force One, the carriers’ joint venture announcement landed at exactly the wrong time to look like anything other than a defensive move.
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