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Tesla clashes with Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo over Model 3 promo
Tesla and Chinese e-commerce Giant Pinduoduo are not seeing eye to eye over a recent group buying promotion that the latter company ran for the electric car company’s Model 3 sedan.
In July, Pinduoduo offered a group buying flash sale alongside Chinese car deal Yiauto. The sale gave five randomly selected buyers of the Model 3 a 40,000 yuan, or $5,770 discount on the purchase of the vehicle if at least 10,000 people signed up for the promotional campaign.
However, a statement from Tesla on its Weibo page stated that Pinduoduo and Yiauto’s promotion was not approved by the automaker and did not sell vehicles to the company for the event. Tesla noted that Pinduoduo was conducting the payment of the vehicle after speaking with a buyer. The electric car maker based in California determined that the promotion violated its terms regarding the resale of its cars, and terminated the order.
“If consumers have any disputes or damages to their rights due to the above group buying activities, our company will not bear any responsibility,” Tesla said in the posting on its Weibo account, the South China Morning Post reported.
In a quote to the South China Morning Post, the company said, “Tesla China has publicly stated on multiple channels that the official Tesla website is the only formal purchase channel for new cars, and it has never commissioned other platforms or merchants to conduct sales activities.”
-->Reports indicate that Pinduoduo nor Yiauto had purchased the vehicles up front, chosen the winners of the contest, and then delivered the cars. Instead, the companies ordered the vehicles through Tesla’s website using personal information that the promo’s signees provided when entering the contest.
A Tesla sales representative denied one winner of the contest delivery of a Model 3 after media outlets started to report on Pinduoduo’s campaign.
“We found that the customer’s car purchase order on the official website was not operated by himself/herself, but by Pinduoduo, which used the customer’s personal information to place the order,” also said to the Post in a statement on August 17.
Pinduoduo said that it is disappointed in Tesla’s decision because the carmaker has “made it difficult for some of their fans to get their dream car.”
However, a Hangzhou-based lawyer named Zhang Yanlai states that what Pinduoduo did diverted Tesla’s sales channel negatively. “Tesla has always insisted on a direct sales model, but the intervention of third parties has affected its one-to-one sales channel and diverted its user traffic,” Yanlai said.
-->Yanlai does not believe that Pinduoduo’s promo showed malicious intent to gain a profit from the sale of Tesla’s vehicles. “It is difficult to say the deal constituted a violation,” he said.
Chinese news site iFeng stated that Pinduoduo might be considering a lawsuit against Tesla, but nothing has been confirmed as of the time of writing.
Pinduoduo is one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the world, with over 628 million active buyers. The company uses subsidy programs and promotional campaigns to attract more users in China’s premium segment, which is dominated by Alibaba, another online commerce company.
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Tesla starts laying the groundwork for FSD tests in Austria
The job opening comes as the company pushes regulatory approvals and data collection in new European markets.
Tesla seems to be ramping its efforts to hire key personnel for FSD’s eventual expansion in Europe. This was hinted at in a new job listing for a vehicle operator role in Vienna, Austria.
The job opening comes as the company pushes regulatory approvals and data collection in new European markets.
Vienna’s vehicle operator role
Tesla posted the job for “Fahrer (Vehicle Operator) (m/w/d)” in its Vienna office on its Careers website, seeking candidates to drive and monitor test vehicles as part of the Autopilot and AI team. The role involves collecting real-world driving data to refine Full Self-Driving systems for the country’s local roads. Responsibilities include operating vehicles in urban and highway environments, documenting system performance, among other tasks.
Applicants need a valid Austrian driver’s license and at least two years of driving experience. Fluency in English is essential, along with a familiarity with driver assist systems. Tesla noted that the position offers a minimum annual gross salary of EUR 32,000, though relevant professional experience and qualifications will be taken into account. Similar to other Tesla roles, the position also offers TSLA stock as an incentive.
Tesla’s FSD Push in Europe
Tesla’s FSD efforts in Europe have accelerated in recent months, with significant progress in Spain serving as a key milestone. In July 2025, Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic launched the ES-AV framework to standardize automated vehicle testing, authorizing Tesla for nationwide FSD trials with 19 vehicles under Phase 3, which allows optional onboard safety operators and remote monitoring.
-->The program, running through November 2027, aims to position Spain as a leader in the field, as DGT stated: “The program is designed to complement and enhance oversight, regulation, research, and transparency efforts, as well as to support innovation and advancements in automotive technology and industry.”
Beyond Spain, Tesla has conducted FSD demonstrations in Germany, France and Italy for consumers, while pursuing national approval in the Netherlands for early 2026.
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Tesla Semi factory looks almost complete during Thanksgiving weekend
Based on recent drone videos, the Tesla Semi factory looks practically ready to start operations.
It appears that the Tesla Semi factory near Giga Nevada is already hard at work preparing for the initial production of the Class 8 all-electric truck. This was, at least, hinted at in a recent drone flyover of the facility from a longtime watcher.
The Tesla Semi factory after Thanksgiving
Drone operator and Tesla Semi advocate @HinrichsZane recently shared some footage he captured of the upcoming facility during the Thanksgiving weekend. Based on his video, it appears that Tesla gave its employees in the area the weekend off. One thing is evident from the video, however, and that is the fact that the Tesla Semi factory looks practically ready to start operations.
The Tesla Semi watcher did point out that the electric vehicle maker is still busy bringing in production equipment into the facility itself. Once these are installed, it would not be surprising if initial production of the Tesla Semi begins.
A new Tesla Semi
The upcoming completion of the Tesla Semi factory near Gigafactory Nevada seems all but inevitable in the coming months. What would be especially interesting, however, would be the vehicles that would be produced on the site. During Elon Musk’s presentation at the 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, a glimpse of the production Tesla Semi was shown, and it looks quite a bit different than the Class 8 all-electric truck’s classic appearance.
As could be seen in the graphic from the CEO’s presentation, the updated Tesla Semi will feature slim lightbar headlights similar to the new Tesla Model Y, Cybertruck, and the Cybercab. Tesla also teased a number of aerodynamic improvements that increased the truck’s efficiency to 1.7 kWh per mile. Extended camera units, seemingly for FSD, could also be seen in the graphic.
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Tesla scores major hire as Apple scientist moves to Optimus team
Chen, who advanced from individual contributor to technical lead during his time at Apple, noted that he was blown away by Tesla’s efforts and synergy.
Former Apple research scientist Yilun Chen has left the tech giant to join Tesla’s Optimus AI team. Chen, who advanced from individual contributor to technical lead during his time at Apple, noted that he was blown away by Tesla’s efforts and synergy.
Apple veteran closes a major chapter
In a farewell note, Yilun Chen reflected on his tenure at Apple as a period defined by rapid growth and exposure to notable internal projects, some of which remain unreleased. His roles spanned engineering, research, early product incubation, and hands-on prototyping, allowing him to build expertise across both mature and emerging teams.
Chen credited mentors, colleagues, and cross-functional collaborators for shaping his trajectory, calling the experience unforgettable and emphasizing how each team taught him different lessons about scaling technology, guiding product vision, and navigating fast-moving research environments. “Each role has offered me invaluable unique lessons… My deepest gratitude goes to my colleagues, mentors and friends,” he wrote.
Tesla’s Optimus lab secured the hire
Chen said the move to Tesla was driven by the momentum surrounding Optimus, a humanoid robot powered by LLM-driven reasoning and Physical AI. After visiting Tesla’s Optimus lab, he admitted that he was “totally blown away by the scale and sophistication of the Optimus lab and deep dedication of people when I got to visit the office.”
His first week at Tesla, he noted, involved spontaneous deep-tech discussions, a flat team structure, rapid prototyping cycles, and what he called a “crazy ideas with super-fast iterations” culture. Chen emphasized that the team’s ambition, as well as its belief that humanoid robots are now within reach, creates an energy level that feels aimed at changing the world.
-->“You can feel the energy to change the world here,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Tesla starts laying the groundwork for FSD tests in Austria
Tesla Semi factory looks almost complete during Thanksgiving weekend
