News
Tesla Model 3 invasion in Europe becomes imminent as cargo ship arrives in Belgium
After conquering the United States’s luxury car market in 2018, the Tesla Model 3 is now heading to foreign territories. In Elon Musk’s letter to employees last month, the CEO noted that the Model 3’s push in Europe and China this first quarter would be critical to the company’s profitability, particularly since deliveries in these territories would start with higher-priced variants like the Long Range AWD and the Performance variant. Amidst the anticipation of the Model 3’s worldwide distribution, reports have now emerged indicating that the first large batch of electric sedans has safely arrived at the port of Zeebrugge in Belgium.
Tesla has not shared details of the first Model 3 shipment that recently arrived in European shores. That said, reports from local media outlets back in December noted that Tesla would be shipping around 3,000 Model 3 to the Zeebrugge port every week. Reports also pointed out that the electric sedans would be shipped quickly, with the vehicles being loaded on RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) ships to facilitate quick loading and unloading. As another way to optimize the deliveries of Model 3 to the region, the transportation of the cars from the United States to Zeebrugge will reportedly take only about 15 days, considering that the cargo ships carrying the vehicles would be passing through the Panama Canal.
The first of these Model 3-filled cargo ships — the Glovis Captain — has been tracked religiously by the Tesla community from its departure in the United States to its arrival at the Belgian port. As noted by a number of dedicated Tesla enthusiasts who have been tracking the ship’s whereabouts, Glovis Captain has recently docked at Zeebrugge. With this, it would likely be just a matter of time before Tesla starts delivering the Model 3 to the first batch of reservation holders in the region. Following are pictures of the cargo ship in the Belgian port as shared by members of the Tesla community.
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- (Photo: Ulric Dabe/Twitter)
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- (Photo: Ulric Dabe/Twitter)
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- (Photo: Ulric Dabe/Twitter)
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- (Photo: Ulric Dabe/Twitter)
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- (Photo: Kristof Lambrecht/Twitter)
The Glovis Captain arrives at the port of Zeebrugge. (Photos: Ulric Dabe and Kristof Lambrecht/Twitter)
With the arrival of the Model 3 in Europe, the disruption of the auto industry that the vehicle started in the United States could very well extend to the European region. In 2018, the Model 3 all but shook the US auto market, becoming such a force that it started closing in on mainstream passenger sedans like the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry. By the end of 2018, the Model 3 was also hailed as a best-selling car in the US’ luxury auto market, selling more than 145,000 units during the year. It should be noted that the Model 3 accomplished these feats in the US despite Tesla’s production issues with the vehicle.
In a way, the true potential of the Model 3 might actually be seen in the vehicle’s performance in the European market, considering that passenger cars are an active, lucrative segment in the region. Compared to the United States, which largely favors SUVs and pickup trucks, Europe is far friendlier to sedans. In the company’s Q3 2018 Update Letter, Tesla noted that the mid-sized premium sedan market in Europe is “more than twice as big as the same segment in the US. In the recently released Q4 2018 letter, the company reiterated this point, stating that “the market opportunity for Model 3 in Europe and China exceeds North America based on the most recent sales of mid-sized premium sedans.”
Over the past months, the pieces have fallen in place for the Model 3’s European invasion. In January, it was confirmed that the electric sedan had achieved homologation approval, paving the way for a seamless rollout of the vehicles in the region. Test drive programs for the Model 3 have also begun in select European areas, giving reservation holders and potential customers a taste of what the electric sedan has to offer.
News
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
“This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”
Tesla has dispelled reports that it is facing a thirty-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a penalty to the company after a judge ruled it “misled consumers about its driver-assistance technology.”
On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the California DMV was planning to adopt the penalty but decided to put it on ice for ninety days, giving Tesla an opportunity to “come into compliance.”
Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California
Tesla responded to the report on Tuesday evening, after it came out, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order that was brought up over its use of the term “Autopilot.”
The company said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” yet a judge and the DMV determined it was, so they want to apply the penalty if Tesla doesn’t oblige.
However, Tesla said that its sales operations in California “will continue uninterrupted.”
It confirmed this in an X post on Tuesday night:
This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.
Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) December 17, 2025
The report and the decision by the DMV and Judge involved sparked outrage from the Tesla community, who stated that it should do its best to get out of California.
One X post said California “didn’t deserve” what Tesla had done for it in terms of employment, engineering, and innovation.
Tesla has used Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but it did add the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite earlier this year, potentially aiming to protect itself from instances like this one.
This is the first primary dispute over the terminology of Full Self-Driving, but it has undergone some scrutiny at the federal level, as some government officials have claimed the suite has “deceptive” naming. Previous Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was vocally critical of the use of the name “Full Self-Driving,” as well as “Autopilot.”
News
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.
After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.
However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.
Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.
🚨UPDATE: $7,500 Tax Credit Portal “Closes By End of Year”.
This is bad news for pending Tesla buyers (MYP) looking to lock in the $7,500 Tax Credit.
“it looks like the portal closes by end of the year so there be no way for us to guarantee the funds however, we will try our… pic.twitter.com/LnWiaXL30k
— DennisCW | wen my L (@DennisCW_) December 15, 2025
We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.
However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.
If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.
This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk takes latest barb at Bill Gates over Tesla short position
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
Elon Musk took his latest barb at former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates over his short position against the company, which the two have had some tensions over for a number of years.
Gates admitted to Musk several years ago through a text message that he still held a short position against his sustainable car and energy company. Ironically, Gates had contacted Musk to explore philanthropic opportunities.
Elon Musk explains Bill Gates beef: He ‘placed a massive bet on Tesla dying’
Musk said he could not take the request seriously, especially as Gates was hoping to make money on the downfall of the one company taking EVs seriously.
The Tesla frontman has continued to take shots at Gates over the years from time to time, but the latest comment came as Musk’s net worth swelled to over $600 billion. He became the first person ever to reach that threshold earlier this week, when Tesla shares increased due to Robotaxi testing without any occupants.
Musk refreshed everyone’s memory with the recent post, stating that if Gates still has his short position against Tesla, he would have lost over $10 billion by now:
Bill Gates placed a massive short bet against Tesla of ~1% of our total shares, which might have cost him over $10B by now
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2025
Just a month ago, in mid-November, Musk issued his final warning to Gates over the short position, speculating whether the former Microsoft frontman had still held the bet against Tesla.
“If Gates hasn’t fully closed out the crazy short position he has held against Tesla for ~8 years, he had better do so soon,” Musk said. This came in response to The Gates Foundation dumping 65 percent of its Microsoft position.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk sends final warning to Bill Gates over short position
Musk’s involvement in the U.S. government also drew criticism from Gates, as he said that the reductions proposed by DOGE against U.S.A.I.D. were “stunning” and could cause “millions of additional deaths of kids.”
“Gates is a huge liar,” Musk responded.
It is not known whether Gates still holds his Tesla short position.
Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California
New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers
