Lifestyle
Tesla Model S P100D and Model X P100D battle BMW M5 in tense 1/4-mile races
There are very few gas-powered sedans that are capable of standing toe-to-toe against the Tesla Model S P100D and the Model X P100D. Over the years, Tesla’s P100D twins have established themselves as formidable forces on the drag strip, with a long line of supercar victims under their belt. That said, when faced with Germany’s monster of a sedan — the 2018 BMW M5 — could the Model S P100D and Model X P100D still maintain their place as drag racing royalty?
Such a race was recently featured in YouTube’s DragTimes channel. The 2018 BMW M5 is pretty much the Model S’ gas-powered equivalent in the way that it is large, fast, and incredibly powerful. The M5 is equipped with a 4.4-liter V8 Twin Turbo engine that generates an impressive 617 hp and 553 ft-lb of torque. The car could be bought in either RWD or AWD configurations, though the vehicle in DragTimes‘ recent video was the all-wheel-drive version. The BMW M5 is pretty beefy at 4,370 lbs, but it is still quick, capable of going from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds. The M5 is listed with a top speed of 155 mph, but with the optional M Driver’s Package, the vehicle’s top speed gets raised to 189 mph.
In contrast, the Tesla Model S P100D is fitted with all-electric dual motors that produce 588 hp to its wheels and 920 lb-ft of instant torque. The electric car is AWD as well, and is quite hefty at 4,900 lbs. Thanks to the instant torque from its two all-electric motors, the Model S P100D is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in ~2.3 seconds with Ludicrous Mode, though its top speed is software limited to 155 mph. The Tesla Model X P100D, on the other hand, might be an incredibly heavy vehicle at 5,700 lbs, but it is still quick off the line. Thanks to its twin electric motors that produce 588 hp and 920 lb-ft of instant torque to its wheels, the Model X P100D is able to hit the 60 mph mark in 2.9 seconds.
The 2018 BMW is actually a very well-balanced car, but as shown in DragTimes‘ video, the vehicle fell just a little bit short in its attempts at taking down the P100D twins. It ran one race with the Model X P100D, where it finished the quarter mile in 11.35 seconds while traveling at 123.53 mph. Unfortunately for the M5, the Model X P100D was slightly quicker, crossing the quarter-mile mark in 11.33 seconds at 116.84 mph.
The 2018 BMW M5 competed against the Model S P100D twice, and on the first run, the gas-powered sedan actually managed to get a jump on the all-electric supercar killer. That said, it didn’t take long before the Model S’ instant torque allowed it to catch up to the M5 and maintain a slight lead until the end of the race. The first bout between the Model S P100D and the 2018 M5 was close overall, ending with the Tesla completing the race in 11.06 seconds at 118.86 mph and the BMW finishing the run in 11.27 seconds at 123.77 mph. The Model S P100D dominated the second race, crossing the quarter-mile mark in 10.98 seconds at 119.08 mph compared to the BMW M5’s 11.46 seconds at 120.94 mph.
The P100D twins are still Tesla’s quickest vehicles when it comes to straight-line races. That said, the Model 3 Performance, the latest iteration of the company’s midsize electric sedan, is looking to be formidable in an area where the Model S and X are still lacking — the track. The Model 3 Performance is even set to receive a dedicated Track Mode, an option that Elon Musk describes as an “Expert User Mode” for the vehicle.
Watch the Model S P100D and Model X P100D battle it out with the 2018 BMW M5 in the video below.
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
Trump’s invite for Elon just reshuffled Tesla’s big Signature Delivery Event
Tesla rescheduled its final Model S farewell to May 20 after Musk joined Trump in China.
Tesla has rescheduled its Model S and Model X Signature Edition delivery event to Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after abruptly calling off the original May 12 celebration. The event will take place at Tesla’s factory at 45500 Fremont Boulevard in Fremont, California, the same location where the Model S first rolled off the line in 2012. Invitees received a follow-up email asking them to reconfirm attendance and download a new QR code ticket, with Tesla noting that all travel and accommodation expenses remain the buyer’s responsibility.
The reason behind the original cancellation came into focus the same day it was announced. President Trump invited Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, and executives from Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Citigroup, and Meta to join his trip to China this week for a summit with President Xi Jinping. The agenda covers trade, artificial intelligence, export controls, Taiwan, and the Iran war, following weeks of escalating friction between Washington and Beijing over AI technology, sanctions, and rare earth exports. Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all.”
Tesla launches 200mph Model S “Gold” Signature in invite-only purchase
The vehicles at the center of all this are the last Model S and Model X units Tesla will ever build. Priced at $159,420 each, the 250 Model S and 100 Model X Signature Edition units come finished in Garnet Red with a one-year no-resale agreement, giving Tesla right of first refusal if the owner decides to sell. As Teslarati reported, the Model S defined Tesla’s early identity as a serious luxury automaker, and the Fremont factory line that built it is now being converted to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots.
Musk’s inclusion in the China delegation drew attention given his very public relationship with Trump, and the invitation signals the two have moved past and past grievances. Trump originally brought Musk on to lead the Department of Government Efficiency following his inauguration, and despite a sharp public dispute in mid-2025, the two have appeared together repeatedly in recent months. A seat on the China trip, the most diplomatically consequential visit of Trump’s current term, puts Musk back at the table on U.S. economic policy at a moment when Tesla’s China revenue remains one of the company’s most important financial pillars.
Lifestyle
Tesla Semi hauls fresh Cybercab batch as Robotaxi era takes hold
A Tesla Semi was filmed hauling Cybercab units out of Giga Texas for the first time.
A Tesla Semi loaded with Cybercab units was recently filmed leaving Gigafactory Texas, marking what appears to be the first documented delivery run of Tesla’s autonomous two-seater. The footage shows multiple Cybercabs secured on a flatbed trailer being hauled by a production Tesla Semi, a truck rated for a gross combination weight of 82,000 lbs. The location is consistent with Giga Texas in Austin, where Cybercab production has been ramping since February 2026.
The sighting follows a wave of Cybercab activity at the Austin facility. In late April, drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer spotted approximately 60 Cybercabs parked in two organized groups in the factory’s outbound lot, the largest concentration observed to date. Units being staged in an outbound lot is a standard pre-delivery step, and the Semi footage is the logical next frame in that sequence.
En route with @tesla_semi pic.twitter.com/ZfuOjaeLH1
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) May 7, 2026
This is not the first time Tesla has used its own Semi to move Tesla products. When the Semi was unveiled in 2017, Musk noted it would be used for Tesla’s own operations, and over the years Semi prototypes were spotted carrying cargo ranging from concrete weights to Tesla vehicles being delivered to consumers. In 2023, a Semi was photographed transporting a Cybertruck on a trailer ahead of that vehicle’s delivery launch.
The Cybercab itself was first revealed publicly at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event on October 10, 2024, at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, where 20 pre-production units gave attendees rides around the studio lot. Musk stated at the event that Tesla intends to produce the Cybercab before 2027. The first production unit rolled off the Giga Texas line on February 17, 2026, with Musk posting on X: “Congratulations to the Tesla team on making the first production Cybercab.”
Tesla’s annual production goal is 2 million Cybercabs per year once multiple factories reach full design capacity, with the company targeting a price under $30,000 per unit. Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its robotaxi service to seven cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, building on the unsupervised service already running in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year.
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