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Tesla Model 3 gets stellar reviews after initial test drives in Japan

A Tesla Model 3 in Osaka, Japan. (Credit: Tesla Japan/Twitter)

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Tesla is yet to start a widespread rollout of the Model 3 in Japan, but the vehicle is already getting praise from the country’s electric car community. Test drives of the vehicle have begun in the country in the lead-up to the Model 3’s first deliveries, and so far, the reception has been immensely positive. 

Social media posts from the Japanese EV community highlighted several impressive aspects of the Model 3, from its novel automated features to its trademark Tesla performance. One reviewer who posted about the experience on social media, for one, even noted that “nothing beats the acceleration of electricity.” Tesla’s Japan team, who have been handling the vehicle’s test drives, were also praised for their accommodating nature. 

The Tesla Model 3 has the potential to be an incredibly disruptive electric car for the Japanese market. The country, particularly its major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, are notorious when it comes to the lack of parking spaces. Japan addressed these issues in a number of novel ways, including the widespread adoption of automated parking machines, which stack vehicles in multi-story structures using a system of conveyors and elevators. 

This proved to be a challenge for Tesla’s first two vehicles, the Model S sedan and the Model X SUV. Being fairly large for their class, the Model S and Model X simply did not fit into Japan’s automated parking machines. This is not the case with the Model 3. In a preview video from Tesla Japan last June, the electric car maker revealed that the Model 3 is designed to perfectly fit in the country’s automated multistory parking systems. 

This makes the Model 3 a potential best-seller even for Japan’s city dwellers. Coupled with the vehicle’s lower starting price compared to its larger stablemates, the Model 3 could very well tap into Japan’s emerging EV market. Overall, it would be quite impressive if Tesla breaches the mainstream Japanese market, considering that the country is the home of veteran EVs such as the Nissan Leaf, an affordable electric car that has carved its own place in motoring history. 

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Apart from Japan, the Tesla Model 3 has also started making serious waves in nearby Asian countries such as South Korea. With national and provincial governments granting generous incentives to South Korean EV buyers, the Model 3 could start as low as around $26,500 for the Standard Range Plus variant. Social media posts from South Korea reveal that the vehicle is garnering positive attention from the country’s EV community, with interested buyers flocking to Tesla stores to check out the vehicle.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla bear Guggenheim sees nearly 50% drop off in stock price in new note

Tesla bear Guggenheim does not see any upside in Robotaxi.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla bear Guggenheim is still among the biggest non-believers in the company’s overall mission and its devotion to solving self-driving.

In a new note to investors on Thursday, analyst Ronald Jewsikow reiterated his price target of $175, a nearly 50 percent drop off, with a ‘Sell’ rating, all based on skepticism regarding Tesla’s execution of the Robotaxi platform.

A few days ago, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company’s Robotaxi platform would open to the public in September, offering driverless rides to anyone in the Austin area within its geofence, which is roughly 90 square miles large.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirms Robotaxi is opening to the public: here’s when

However, Jewsikow’s skepticism regarding this timeline has to do with what’s going on inside of the vehicles. The analyst was willing to give props to Robotaxi, saying that Musk’s estimation of a September public launch would be a “key step” in offering the service to a broader population.

Where Jewsikow’s real issue lies is with Tesla’s lack of transparency on the Safety Monitors, and how bulls are willing to overlook their importance.

Much of this bullish mentality comes from the fact that the Monitors are not sitting in the driver’s seat, and they don’t have anything to do with the overall operation of the vehicle.

Musk also said last month that reducing Safety Monitors could come “in a month or two.”

Instead, they’re just there to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Jewsikow said:

“While safety drivers will remain, and no timeline has been provided for their removal, bulls have been willing to overlook the optics of safety drivers in TSLA vehicles, and we see no reason why that would change now.”

He also commented on Musk’s recent indication that Tesla was working on a 10x parameter count that could help make Full Self-Driving even more accurate. It could be one of the pieces to Tesla solving autonomy.

Jewsikow added:

“Perhaps most importantly for investors bullish on TSLA for the fleet of potential FSD-enabled vehicles today, the 10x higher parameter count will be able to run on the current generation of FSD hardware and inference compute.”

Elon Musk teases crazy new Tesla FSD model: here’s when it’s coming

Tesla shares are down just about 2 percent today, trading at $332.47.

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Tesla Model 3 hits quarter million miles with original battery and motor

The Model 3’s Battery Management System (BMS) shows a State of Health between 88% and 90%.

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(Credit: Tesla Asia/Twitter)

A Western Australian Tesla Model 3 has captured global attention after racking up an impressive 410,000 kilometers (254,000 miles) on its original battery and motor, while still retaining around 90% of its original battery health.

Long-term Model 3

The 2021 Model 3 Standard Plus, equipped with a 60 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, has been in constant use as an Uber rideshare vehicle. According to Port Kennedy EV specialist EV Workz, the car’s Battery Management System (BMS) shows a State of Health between 88% and 90%.

EV Workz owner Edi Gutmanis shared the findings on Facebook’s Electric Vehicles For Australia page on August 8, and the post quickly went viral. As per Gutmanis, the Model 3’s charging history shows 15,556 kWh delivered via DC fast charging (29% of the total) and 38,012 kWh via AC charging (71% of the total). 

Gutmanis also broke down the fuel savings for the Model 3. A petrol car covering the same 410,000 km at 7L/100km and $1.70 per liter would cost an estimated AU$50,000 in fuel. By comparison, charging the Tesla using average commercial rates would be about AU$20,737 and just AU$13,000 if using Western Australia’s EV tariff. That’s a potential refueling saving of roughly $37,000, not including the avoided maintenance costs of an internal combustion engine.

Simple fix

The car came into EV Workz for a driveline “judder” issue, as per a report form EV Central Australia. Gutmanis found the real cause was simply worn motor mount bushes. After seven hours of labor and $130 in parts, “the car drives just as good as the first day it left the dealership,” Gutmanis said.

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Gutmanis, whose business also performs EV conversions on classics and 4x4s, says the results aren’t surprising. “We expect this sort of longevity with EV batteries,” he explained, though this is the highest-mileage Model 3 he has encountered in Australia.

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Mysterious covered Tesla Model Y fleet spotted in Giga Berlin

The vehicles were sighted during a recent drone flyover of the Germany-based Model Y production site.

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Credit: @TobiasLindh/YouTube

A fleet of mysterious covered Model Y units has been spotted at the Giga Berlin complex. The vehicles were sighted during a recent drone flyover of the Germany-based Model Y production site.

A mysterious fleet

The mysterious Model Y fleet was sighted by longtime Giga Berlin watcher Tobias Lindh, who has been chronicling the progress and activities of Tesla’s German factory complex for years. During his flyover on August 12, 2025, Lindh noted that he was able to spot a fleet of fully covered Model Y units being gathered in one section of the Giga Berlin site.

The presence of the covered Model Y units caught a lot of attention online, with numerous Tesla watchers speculating if the vehicles were the Model Y L or the yet-to-be-released Model Y Performance. Giga Berlin only produces Model Y units, after all, and both the Model Y L and Model Y Performance are yet to be rolled out by the electric vehicle maker.

Tesla Model Y Performance the Model Y L

The Model Y is Tesla’s best-selling vehicle by a mile, selling so well that it was able to become the world’s best-selling car by volume in 2023. With the changeover to the new Model Y this year, Tesla has only released the vehicle’s updated RWD and AWD versions. The updated Model Y Performance is yet to be released as of writing, though sightings of apparent Model Y Performance units have been reported on social media.

In recent weeks, however, the Model Y news cycle has been dominated by the upcoming release of the Model Y L, an extended wheelbase, six-seat version of the best-selling all-electric crossover. The Model Y L is expected to be produced in Giga Shanghai initially, though Giga Berlin, the Fremont Factory, and Giga Texas are also expected to produce the variant in the near future. 

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Check out Giga Berlin’s mysterious Model Y fleet in the video below.

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