News
Tesla Giga Berlin gathers its Model Y fleet ahead of next week’s delivery event
Tesla appears to be busy with the final preparations for Gigafactory Berlin’s Model Y delivery event next week, with the company now gathering more of the all-electric crossover in the facility’s premises. Images of the vehicles were shared online by Tesla watchers who have been following the progress of the Germany-based EV production facility since its early days.
With the days counting down to March 22, 2022, Giga Berlin remains abuzz with activity. Work on the facade of Giga Berlin’s battery cell production building continues to make progress, and new graffiti has been unveiled. More importantly, more production Model Ys are now being gathered on Giga Berlin’s Northern Logistics Area. The vehicles, whose build quality seems top-notch, look almost like alien pods waiting for their owners to take them home.
The first batch of Tesla Model Y deliveries at Giga Berlin will be held on March 22 as part of celebrations that will be held on the site. Based on invitations sent by Tesla, attendees of the Giga Berlin Model Y delivery event could register as early as 9 am, though actual handovers of the all-electric crossover would only begin around 1:30 pm. Prior to this, attendees will get a factory tour of Giga Berlin, allowing customers to see exactly how their cars are produced.
Similar to other Tesla handover events, the Model Y delivery ceremony next week includes some fun gimmicks. Owners, for instance, could select the entrance music of their Model Y as it leaves the factory. The celebrations are also quite extensive, as they start at 3 pm all the way to 9 pm. Elon Musk is expected to show up at the event, though no formal announcement has been made so far.
Gigafactory Berlin’s first Model Y deliveries have been a long time coming. When the facility was announced, Tesla aimed to start vehicle deliveries sometime in 2021. That was a pre-pandemic goal, however, and as plans for the facility evolved and local environmental groups opposed the project, Giga Berlin ended up mired in red tape. Fortunately, the facility’s final environmental approval was granted this month, paving the way for local vehicle production to begin.
Tesla Germany is already performing well in the local electric vehicle market despite Giga Berlin not yet being operational. In February 2022, the Tesla Model 3 became the country’s top-selling EV, with the vehicle seeing 3,690 registrations. The Model Y was in second place with 2,254 for February 2022. These numbers would likely see a notable increase once Giga Berlin starts producing vehicles for the local market.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
-->
News
Waymo driverless taxi drives directly into active LAPD standoff
No injuries occurred, and the passengers inside the vehicle were safely transported to their destination, as per a Waymo representative.
A video posted on social media has shown an occupied Waymo driverless taxi driving directly into the middle of an active LAPD standoff in downtown Los Angeles.
As could be seen in the short video, which was initially posted on Instagram by user Alex Choi, a Waymo driverless taxi drove directly into the middle of an active LAPD standoff in downtown Los Angeles.
The driverless taxi made an unprotected left turn despite what appeared to be a red light, briefly entering a police perimeter. At the time, officers seemed to be giving commands to a prone suspect on the ground, who looked quite surprised at the sudden presence of the driverless vehicle.
People on the sidewalk, including the person who was filming the video, could be heard chuckling at the Waymo’s strange behavior.
The Waymo reportedly cleared the area within seconds. No injuries occurred, and the passengers inside the vehicle were safely transported to their destination, as per a Waymo representative. Still, the video spread across social media, with numerous netizens poking fun at the gaffe.
-->Others also pointed out that such a gaffe would have resulted in widespread controversy had the vehicle involved been a Tesla on FSD. Tesla is constantly under scrutiny, with TSLA shorts and similar groups actively trying to put down the company’s FSD program.
A Tesla on FSD or Robotaxi accidentally driving into an active police standoff would likely cause lawsuits, nonstop media coverage, and calls for a worldwide ban, at the least.
This was one of the reasons why even minor traffic infractions committed by the company’s Robotaxis during their initial rollout in Austin received nationwide media attention. This particular Waymo incident, however, will likely not receive as much coverage.
Tesla Model Y demand in China is through the roof, and new delivery dates show the company has already sold out its allocation of the all-electric crossover for 2025.
The Model Y has been the most popular vehicle in the world in both of the last two years, outpacing incredibly popular vehicles like the Toyota RAV 4. In China, the EV market is substantially more saturated, with more competitors than in any other market.
However, Tesla has been kind to the Chinese market, as it has launched trim levels for the Model Y in the country that are not available anywhere else. Demand has been strong for the Model Y in China; it ranks in the top 5 of all EVs in the country, trailing the BYD Seagull, Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, and the Geely Galaxy Xingyuan.
The other three models ahead of the Model Y are priced substantially lower.
Tesla is still dealing with strong demand for the Model Y, and the company is now pushing delivery dates to early 2026, meaning the vehicle is sold out for the year:
NEWS: New orders for all four Tesla Model Y trims in China are now officially sold out for 2025, as the factory’s remaining production capacity for the year has been fully allocated.
Estimated delivery dates for new orders now show January-February 2026. pic.twitter.com/Dfnu7yY58N
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) December 1, 2025
Tesla experienced a 9.9 percent year-over-year rise in its China-made EV sales for November, meaning there is some serious potential for the automaker moving into next year despite increased competition.
There have been a lot of questions surrounding how Tesla would perform globally with more competition, but it seems to have a good grasp of various markets because of its vehicles, its charging infrastructure, and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite, which has been expanding to more countries as of late.
Tesla Model Y is still China’s best-selling premium EV through October
Tesla holds a dominating lead in the United States with EV registrations, and performs incredibly well in several European countries.
With demand in China looking strong, it will be interesting to see how the company ends the year in terms of global deliveries.
News
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands.
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.
Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun.
“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website.
-->This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
Waymo driverless taxi drives directly into active LAPD standoff
Tesla Model Y demand in China is through the roof, new delivery dates show
