Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently reiterated an ambitious target for the company’s humanoid robot. As per Musk in a recent post on X, he still thinks that the Tesla Optimus price would be around half of a car. Considering that Tesla’s most popular car today, the Model Y, starts at $43,990 in the United States, the CEO seems to be hinting at a price of less than $25,000-$30,000 for Optimus.Â
One of Musk’s recent comments about the Optimus’s price came as a response to ARK Invest’s Sam Korus, who pondered if the manufacturing ramp of a humanoid robot could be several times that of a vehicle. The Tesla CEO noted that while the complexity per unit mass is much higher with humanoid robots, he still believes that the cost of a robot would be around half of a vehicle.Â
Complexity per unit mass is much higher with humanoid robots, but still I think it ends up costing less than half of a car— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2024
And in a response to a Tesla owner who inquired if Optimus would cost about $25,000 to $30,000, Musk noted that it would be “less over time.” This hints that the Tesla Bot, at least in the long term, could very well be an affordable product that is attainable to a significant number of consumers. Â
This is not the first time that Elon Musk has hinted at an affordable price point for Optimus. During his appearance on TED in April 2022, Musk estimated that there will be rapid growth in the usefulness of Optimus around 2025. At the time, Musk also noted that the he thinks the Tesla Bot’s cost is “actually not going to be crazy high, like less than a car.”Â
Less over time— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 26, 2024
And in AI Day 2022, Tesla revealed a number of key characteristics for Optimus. These include 28 structural actuators that help its body achieve over 200 degrees of freedom. Its hands will also have 11 degrees of freedom, allowing Optimus to move its hands very similarly to a human. At the time, Musk hinted that the Tesla Bot would cost less than the company’s electric cars as well, or around less than $20,000. Considering Musk’s recent comments, Tesla may still be aiming for a sub-$20,000 target price for Optimus.
Optimus might be a very complex product, but its contributions could be notable. Musk, during his TED appearance, noted that the first Optimus units that Tesla would deploy would be for “jobs that are dangerous, boring, repetitive, and things people don’t want to do.” Musk has also hinted at the idea of using Optimus to help people in their homes.
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Tesla launches massive promotion in China for FSD

Tesla has launched a massive promotion in China for its release of Full Self-Driving in the country in an effort to push more owners to adopt the driver-assistance feature shortly after it rolled out in the country.
Tesla is allowing owners in China to upgrade to one free month of Full Self-Driving between March 17 and April 16, as all eligible vehicles will be able to have thirty days of the software available on their vehicles.
Watch Tesla’s FSD tackle water cup challenge, dirt roads in China
The feature will be available to those drivers who have not purchased the Full Self-Driving suite on their vehicle, according to an announcement the company made on its mobile app.
The company’s announcement on the app reads:
“We are launching this campaign based on goodwill for customers to experience Tesla’s in-house developed advanced assisted driving features for free.”
🚨 Tesla is offering a free trial of FSD in China for one month
Butts in seats works! Many who experience the convenience of FSD won’t ever want a car without it again! pic.twitter.com/zLiRGg9GkK
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 17, 2025
The use of Full Self-Driving will likely help many drivers see the advantages of having access to the system and could spike adoption in China, where Tesla launched the suite earlier this year.
It is currently listed at a price of RMB 64,000, or roughly $8,850.
News
Tesla details plan for increased Model Y pricing stability in Australia
As Chinese automakers increasingly deploy low-priced EVs in the Australian market, one Tesla executive explains one way the company plans to stay competitive.

A Tesla executive managing the Australian and surrounding markets has detailed the company’s plans to move away from rapid pricing changes with the arrival of the new Model Y, especially as electric vehicle (EV) competition from other Chinese automakers arrives in Australia and surrounding markets.
Thom Drew, Tesla’s Country Director for New Zealand and Australia, said in an interview with Chasing Cars on Friday that the recently refreshed Model Y will make it to Australian markets with more consistent pricing. The statement comes after the Model Y remained Australia’s best-selling EV in 2024, and he says that the era of the Tesla price war seems to be winding down as the SUV gets more affordable.
“We are certainly not going to get into price wars,” Drew said. “I know we have famously been known for changing our prices rapidly over the past several years.
“I really think we have gotten to a point with our pricing where it is where it should be. Once we release the general production pricing for Model Y, I think we are at a really good point. Particularly with the refinements on the [upgraded] vehicle, it is exceptional value for money.”
First deliveries of the Launch Edition Model Y refresh are expected in May, and Drew says initial shipments will be large in volume to match significant demand for the EV. The executive also confirmed that the highly-coveted rear-wheel-drive (RWD) model, the Launch Edition of which is currently sold out, will go on sale again as the regular edition in the weeks to come.
At the time of writing, you can still order the Launch Edition configuration of Tesla’s Long Range, all-wheel-drive (AWD) Model Y on its online order configurator.
READ MORE ON TESLA’S NEW MODEL Y: Australia’s top car website gives Tesla Model Y and Model 3 its best EV awards
It’s not clear at this time if Tesla plans to employ similar strategies in markets beyond the Asia-Pacific, though Drew highlights the pricing stability efforts as a necessary measure to remain competitive amongst incoming EVs from Chinese automakers. Between this and optimizing consumer experiences by making great vehicles, the executive explains that the company remains intent on holding onto its number one seller spot.
“We need to make sure we are hyper-focussed on the quality of our products and our competitiveness,” he says. “[We need to] be looking around today and making sure that we have the best ownership experience to keep our brand at the number-one point.”
At this point, Drew also says that the Model Y is the most affordable option in the Australian market, highlighting that keeping the price stable should hold competitors off for the foreseeable future, at the very least. The news also comes as reports say that Tesla may already be looking to launch an even cheaper Model Y in China, which could make the vehicle even more competitive with future iterations.
“At the moment, there is no cheaper model that I am aware of,” Drew adds. “If there was one, absolutely [we would have our hand up].”
The Australian market requires right-hand-drive (RHD) vehicles, meaning that they drive on the left side of the road and are equipped with steering wheels on the right side of the automobile. Tesla’s Gigafactory in Shanghai supplies the markets in Australia, New Zealand and multiple surrounding regions throughout the Asia-Pacific.
Tesla launched the upgraded Model Y in China in January, after months of speculation that the refreshed SUV would soon be launched. The automaker began initial deliveries of the Launch Edition Model Y refresh in China last month, officially transitioning to the sale of the regular edition of the vehicle at the beginning of March.
Australia has received 107k of Tesla’s 1 million exports from Giga Shanghai: report
News
Could Tesla vandalism fuel higher insurance prices?
Experts say that vandalism against Tesla vehicles could make insurance companies increase rates—or drop coverage for the brand altogether.

Tesla owners have recently experienced a substantial uptick in vandalism events in protest of CEO Elon Musk and recent developments with the Trump administration, and some say that it could lead to higher insurance rates if it continues.
In a report on Sunday, Insurify Data Journalist Matt Brannon told Newsweek that increased vandalism against Tesla’s vehicles could make insurance companies proactively raise their rates in the future. He says that factors such as theft and vandalism are both major considerations for insurance companies when setting rates, though perhaps not to the extent that collisions are.
“If vandalism involving Tesla vehicles continues to rise and doesn’t go back down, we could see rates rise for comprehensive coverage in the future,” Brannon said.
Vandalism is typically covered by comprehensive policies, though Brannon and Bankrate Insurance Analyst Shannon Martin say that these won’t likely increase rates as much as collisions. However, after a lack of engine immobilizers in certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles made them susceptible to theft, sparking widespread TikTok and Instagram challenges in 2022 in which individuals would try to steal these cars, Martin explains that companies could even refuse to insure Tesla vehicles in extreme cases.
“As we have learned from the 2023 TikTok theft trend targeting certain model Kias and Hyundais, if these types of losses continue, carriers could refuse to offer coverage for Tesla vehicles altogether,” Martin explained.
A Tesla Model S falls prey to an apparent arson attack in Seattle’s Capitol City neighborhood.🔥
Fortunately, the Model S seemed to have tanked the arson attack, as its high voltage battery seemed fine after the incident.
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 14, 2025
READ MORE ON TESLA INSURANCE: Tesla launches insurance discount for FSD users in these two states
She also says that many other factors could cause insurance rates to rise organically across the industry, including impending tariffs from the Trump administration that have caused uncertainty in recent weeks. Factors such as high repair costs have also caused rate increases in the past few years, particularly for vehicles that are electric.
However, Martin says the recent string of vandalism against Tesla vehicles could cause even steeper rate hikes throughout 2025, even as some of the company’s vehicles are already fairly expensive to insure in some areas.
“Since the recent rise in vandalism is focused on Teslas and not other make vehicles, drivers who carry Tesla Insurance may see a higher premium hike than those who have coverage with other carriers, since the risk of loss isn’t as diversified,” she adds.
Brannon says that insurance rates for electric vehicles (EVs) increased twice as fast as those of gas vehicles in 2024, while full-coverage prices on Teslas have increased over the past few years. Newsweek also says it reached out to insurance companies including Allstate, Geico, Progressive, and State Farm, though no comment was given by the time of publishing.
Vandalism against Tesla vehicles in recent weeks
The news comes as Tesla owners have detailed significant increases to vandalism in recent weeks, as many have tried to protest and speak out against cuts from Musk and Trump’s newly developed government efficiency division.
In February, one Cybertruck owner in Massachusetts said he was getting death threats, yelling passersby, stickers placed on his vehicle, and broad cancellations of client appointments following Musk’s controversial salute at the Trump inauguration ceremony. As a result, the doctor, an immigrant from Syria, said he was considering moving away in hopes to escape the verbal and property attacks.
Tesla owners in Northern California a few weeks ago were left with notes on their cars saying to trade or sell them before February 12, or else it would be “open season.” An activist group called Students Against Nazi Extremism (SANE) claimed responsibility for the notes.
Last week, Musk also responded to a story in which a New York individual drew a Swastika on a person’s Cybertruck, saying that, “Naturally, he drives a Subaru.”
Superchargers have also been targeted in recent attacks, including fresh graffiti last month, with vandals writing the word “Nazi” on some charging posts in Utah along with drawing a Swastika. Tesla said in response that it planned to file charges against the vandals.
Widespread protests have also faced Tesla stores in recent weeks, with one in Oregon even being the victim of multiple rounds of gunfire, while multiple Cybertrucks in Seattle were set on fire—an event now being looked at by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Another string of vandalism and arson at a Tesla store in Colorado resulted in the arrest of two suspects in the past few weeks, after the site was repeatedly tagged with graffiti, some of which said “Nazi cars” on the front windows.
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