Tesla has initiated a round of price cuts for its best-selling car, the Model Y crossover, in Germany and Sweden. The price cuts were implemented about a week after a series of similar adjustments were rolled out for the Model 3 and Model Y in China.
With the price adjustments in place, the Model Y Long Range Dual Motor All Wheel Drive (AWD) in Germany will start at a price of 49,990 euros ($54,340), a reduction of 5,000 euros from its previous price. The Model Y Performance, on the other hand, will start at 55,990 euros ($60,916), a price reduction of 5,000 euros. The base Model Y Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) will start at 42,990 ($46,772) euros, a 1,900-euro reduction from its previous cost.
Tesla’s price cuts for the Model Y in Germany may be part of the company’s efforts to remain competitive in the country. As noted in a Reuters report, Germany’s EV subsidy program ended last month despite initially being expected to last until the end of 2024. This has made the country’s electric vehicle sector more competitive, and it is expected to bring some challenges to domestic carmakers who are already finding it difficult to compete with Chinese EV brands and Tesla.
$TSLA ??
NEWS: Tesla slashed Model Y vehicle prices by up to €5.000 in Germany.
Model Y RWD : 42.990€
(from: 44.890€ / -1.900€)
Model Y LR : 49.990€
(from: 54.990€ / -5.000€)
Model Y Pf : 55.990€
(from: 60.990€ / -5.000€) pic.twitter.com/ThNQCiPmlc— Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) January 17, 2024
Interestingly, Tesla Germany’s recent price adjustments for the Model Y were implemented after the company announced that it was suspending the production of the all-electric crossover at Giga Berlin from January 29 to February 11, 2024. As per the electric vehicle maker, the armed conflicts in the Red Sea are adversely affecting its supply chain.
“The armed conflicts in the Red Sea and the associated shifts in transport routes between Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope are also having an impact on production in Gruenheide. The considerably longer transportation times are creating a gap in supply chains,” Tesla noted.
It’s not just Germany that has received a price reduction for the Tesla Model Y. As per a report from CarUp, Tesla Sweden also implemented a price reduction for the all-electric crossover. A look at the Model Y order page in Sweden shows that the vehicle saw price reductions of up to SEK 55,000 depending on the variant.
Following the price adjustment, the base Model Y RWD in Sweden now starts at SEK 534,170, a decrease of around SEK 50,000. The Model Y Long Range Dual Motor AWD, on the other hand, saw its price fall from SEK 669,000 to SEK 614,170, a reduction of approximately SEK 55,000. In a comment, Tesla Sweden noted that the Model Y’s price reduction was due in part to production efficiencies.
“In our quest to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy, a key focus for us in 2024 is to enable Tesla to become more accessible to more and more people. Our goal is to achieve this by leveraging our innovative engineering and manufacturing processes, which make production more time- and cost-effective. By passing on the efficiency gains to our customers, we can make our product even more affordable. Model Y is now available from SEK 534,170,” Tesla noted.
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Elon Musk
SpaceX posts Starship booster feat that’s so nutty, it doesn’t even look real
The Super Heavy booster’s feat was so impressive that the whole maneuver almost looked like it was AI-generated.
SpaceX has shared a video of a remarkable feat achieved by Starship’s Super Heavy booster during its 11th flight test.
The Super Heavy booster’s feat was so impressive that the whole maneuver, which was captured on video, almost looked like it was AI-generated.
Super Heavy’s picture perfect hover
As could be seen in the video shared by SpaceX, Starship’s Super Heavy booster, which is nearly 400 feet tall, smoothly returned to Earth and hovered above the Gulf of America for a few seconds before it went for its soft water landing. The booster’s picture-perfect maneuver before splashing down all but capped a near-flawless mission for Starship, which is about to enter its V3 era with Flight 12.
The booster’s balance and stability were so perfect that some users on X joked that the whole thing looked AI-generated. Considering the size of Super Heavy, as well as the fact that the booster was returning from space, the hovering display all but showed that SpaceX is dead serious about keeping its dominant lead in the spaceflight sector.
Starship V2’s curtain call
As noted in a Space.com report, Flight Test 11 achieved every major goal SpaceX had set for the mission, including deploying Starlink mass simulators, relighting Raptor engines in space, and executing a stable reentry for both the Starship Upper Stage and the Super Heavy booster. The feat also marked the second time a Super Heavy booster has been reflown, a milestone in SpaceX’s quest to make the entire Starship system fully reusable.
Starship’s V2 vehicle will now give way to the upgraded Starship V3, which is designed for faster turnaround and higher payload capacity. The Starship program is expected to pursue even more aggressive targets in the coming months as well, with Elon Musk stating on social media platform X that SpaceX will attempt a tower catch for Starship Upper Stage as early as spring 2026.
Elon Musk
After moving Tesla to Texas, Elon Musk is back in the Bay Area with Neuralink expansion
The news marks a noticeable step in Musk’s expanding presence in the Bay Area, despite the move of his biggest companies, Tesla and SpaceX, to Texas.
Recent reports have indicated that Elon Musk’s brain-implant startup, Neuralink, has leased a five-story, 144,000-square-foot building in South San Francisco. At the same time, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI is reportedly also looking around for a Bay Area office.
The news marks a noticeable step in Musk’s expanding presence in the Bay Area, despite the move of his biggest companies, Tesla and SpaceX, to Texas.
Neuralink’s Bay Area expansion
As noted in a report from the San Francisco Business Times, the property that Neuralink has leased is located at 499 Forbes Boulevard, and it was built by Aralon Properties before it was leased to cancer test developer InterVenn Biosciences. The site, however, had remained vacant since 2023 after InterVenn canceled its 10-year lease.
xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, is reportedly scouting for an even larger Bay Area office as well, as noted in a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. Combined, the two ventures could secure nearly 400,000 square feet of local workspace, a move seen as a symbolic return of sorts for Musk-led innovation to Silicon Valley.
Neuralink’s momentum
Founded in 2016, Neuralink develops brain-computer interfaces intended to help paralyzed patients control digital devices through thought. The company received U.S. regulatory approval in 2023 to begin human trials, with its first patient, quadriplegic Noland Arbaugh, making headlines for his stunning ability to control a computer cursor and play games using only his mind. Since receiving his implant, Arbaugh has stated that he now browses the web, plays video games like Mario Kart, studies neuroscience, and operates his smart home without lifting a finger.
Nauralink is only just getting started, with Elon Musk noting on X that the company is busy preparing its next product, Blindsight, for human trials. As per Musk, Neuralink is “aiming to restore (limited) sight to the completely blind next year,” an aggressive target for a potentially life-changing device.
News
Tesla Cybercab tests seem to be ramping up again
Elon Musk has stated that he expects the company to achieve a run rate of 2 million Cybercabs annually.
Tesla seems to be ramping the tests of its autonomous two-seater, the Cybercab, once more. This was hinted at in recent drone footage from both the Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas.
The fresh sightings of the Cybercab in the Fremont Factory and Giga Texas have renewed conversations about the vehicle potentially being built with manual controls today.
Fresh Cybercab tests
As noted by longtime drone operator Joe Tegtmeyer on social media platform X, he recently spotted a Cybercab driving on Giga Texas’ South River Road to the West side. Interestingly enough, the longtime Giga Texas watcher noted that this was the first Cybercab that he had seen conducting road tests in a while.
Over in the Fremont Factory, another Cybercab was spotted driving around the facility’s testing area. Similar to the Cybercab in the Giga Texas sighting, the vehicle that was spotted in the Fremont Factory seemed to be manually driven, at least based on the way it was being steered. This behavior has incited speculations among Tesla watchers that current Cybercab test units have manual controls, unlike their production version, which would have no steering wheel or pedals.
Cybercab production preparation
The sightings of Cybercabs around the Fremont Factory and Giga Texas bode well for the vehicle’s development and impending production. It does, if any, complement reports that Tesla has been busy setting up production equipment for Giga Texas’ Cybercab production line. At the same time, drone footage around the Giga Texas complex has also revealed that Tesla is stockpiling some Cybercab castings, a likely sign that initial test production of the vehicle might soon begin.
The Cybercab is expected to be Tesla’s highest volume vehicle, with CEO Elon Musk stating that he expects the company to achieve a run rate of 2 million Cybercabs annually. He also mentioned that the Cybercab will be easy to produce thanks to its Unboxed manufacturing process, so much so that its production would resemble a high-speed consumer electronics line instead of an automotive assembly line.
SpaceX posts Starship booster feat that’s so nutty, it doesn’t even look real
After moving Tesla to Texas, Elon Musk is back in the Bay Area with Neuralink expansion
Tesla Cybercab tests seem to be ramping up again
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