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Tesla brings Quicksilver and Midnight Cherry Red Model Y to Giga Texas ahead of Investor Day
Tesla appears to be displaying its latest innovations at the upcoming Investor Day event in Gigafactory Texas. As could be seen in recent footage taken of the facility, the electric vehicle maker will be displaying a Quicksilver and Midnight Cherry Red Model Y at the event.
The vehicles were spotted in a drone flyover from Giga Texas watcher Brad Sloan, who captured footage of the complex on February 28, 2023. The facility seems quite busy during the flyover. Its parking lot is full of vehicles and activities can be seen around the site.
Perhaps the most eye-catching segment in the video, however, was the Quicksilver and Midnight Cherry Red Model Y being displayed. As noted by EV watchers and members of the Tesla community, the two Model Y colors are extremely eye-catching.
The presence of a Quicksilver and Midnight Cherry Red Model Y at Giga Texas ahead of Investor Day bodes well for the facility. So far, the two colors are only available in vehicles produced at Gigafactory Berlin, since the facility is equipped with the company’s most advanced paint shop.
Considering that Giga Texas is Tesla’s newest factory so far, one could infer that it is also equipped with a paint shop that’s comparable — if not better — than Giga Berlin. It would then not be surprising if Giga Texas eventually offers unique color options such as Quicksilver and Midnight Cherry Red in the future.
Depending on how well Giga Texas’ paint shop has been ramped, there may be a chance that the two uniquely-painted Model Y units in the recent flyover were produced at the facility. If this was the case, Model Y demand in the United States would likely see an even more notable ramp.
As noted by the company when it launched the two new colors in Giga Berlin last year, Quicksilver and Midnight Cherry Red are made possible only through Tesla’s most advanced paint shop, which allows up to 13 layers for depth and dimension. The colors are made from highly-pigmented paint that’s designed to change depending on the viewing angle and light.
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Tesla Superchargers to be opened for VW ID.4 and ID. Buzz owners
The adapter, however, would need to be purchased by eligible customers.
Volkswagen has announced that owners of the ID.4 and ID. Buzz will soon gain access to Tesla’s expansive Supercharger network across North America.
Starting November 18, eligible drivers can charge at more than 25,000 compatible DC fast chargers using a Volkswagen-approved NACS adapter. The adapter, however, would need to be purchased by eligible customers.
Volkswagen goes NACS
To connect with the Tesla Supercharger network, ID.4 and ID. Buzz owners will need a $200 Volkswagen NACS-to-CCS adapter, which is available from dealers or online at parts.vw.com. Original owners of 2025 models can claim a $100 rebate within 90 days of purchase, with the program running through July 15, 2026, as noted in a press release. Starting with model year 2026, the NACS adapter will be included as standard equipment on all new Volkswagen EVs.
It should be noted that Volkswagen’s NACS adapter enables charging exclusively on DC fast chargers compatible with Tesla’s North American Charging System. It cannot be used with Level 1 or Level 2 AC chargers, including Tesla’s own Destination Charger network. Select 2024 and 2025 models will also receive a software update to ensure optimal performance when charging through NACS.
Volkswagen of America SVP’s comments
Volkswagen of America Senior Vice President of Product Marketing and Strategy Petar Danilovic shared his excitement about the ID.4 and ID. Buzz’s upcoming use of the Tesla Supercharger Network.
“This is great news for our EV owners,” he said. “They will now be able to access the more than 25,000 DC fast chargers on the Tesla Supercharger network across the United States, in addition to the more than 5,000 fast chargers on Electrify America’s grid. This makes life much more convenient, whether you are taking a road trip or you rely on public charging should home charging not be an option.”
To use the Supercharger Network, ID.4 and ID. Buzz owners could use the Tesla app to find compatible stations and pay directly for their charging sessions. Combined with Electrify America’s growing network, ID.4 and ID. Buzz owners now have more options for their charging needs, allowing them to travel long distances in their all-electric cars.
@teslarati 🚨🚨 Tesla Full Self-Driving and Yap is the best driving experience #tesla #fsd #yapping ♬ I Run – HAVEN.
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Jim Farley admits he was “humbled” when Ford tore down Tesla and Chinese EVs
He noted that Ford’s Mustang Mach-E had roughly 1.6 kilometers more electrical wiring than Tesla’s sedan, making it heavier and more expensive to build.
Ford CEO Jim Farley says dismantling Tesla and Chinese-made EVs was a wake-up call that reshaped how the veteran automaker is taking on the electric transition.
Speaking on the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast, Farley admitted he was “humbled” after learning how far ahead Tesla and China’s automakers were in design and efficiency. The revelation, he stated, convinced him that Ford had to rethink everything from engineering to strategy.
Teardowns and tech gaps
“I was very humbled when we took apart the first Model 3 Tesla and started to take apart the Chinese vehicles. When we took them apart, it was shocking what we found,” Farley told host Monica Langley, as noted in an Insider report.
He noted that Ford’s Mustang Mach-E had roughly 1.6 kilometers more electrical wiring than Tesla’s sedan, making it heavier and more expensive to build.
The experience pushed Farley to launch Ford’s Model e in 2022, a dedicated EV division focused on competing with tech-driven automakers. Although Model e lost more than $5 billion in 2024 and is expected to face similar losses this year, Farley said he has no regrets.
“I knew it was going to be brutal business-wise. My ethos is, take on the hardest problems as fast as you can and sometimes do it in public because you’ll solve them quicker that way,” he said.
Farley has led Ford since 2020, during which he’s pushed the company to adopt leaner designs, modernized software systems, and faster EV production cycles inspired by Tesla’s model.
Urgency in Ford’s global push
Farley has repeatedly warned that Chinese EV makers such as BYD now pose an “existential threat” to legacy carmakers. He described Chinese electric vehicles as “far superior” and said their expansion overseas highlights how quickly the landscape is changing.
“We can’t walk away from EVs,” Farley said. “Not just for the US, but if we want to be a global company, I’m not going to just cede that to the Chinese.”
Still, the U.S. market remains challenging. Farley expects only about 5% of domestic car sales to be electric in the near term, as buyers demand more affordable models. To meet that shift, Ford plans a $30,000 midsize electric truck for 2027.
“We now know that the EV market in the US is totally different than we thought,” Farley stated.
@teslarati 🚨🚨 Tesla Full Self-Driving and Yap is the best driving experience #tesla #fsd #yapping ♬ I Run – HAVEN.
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Tesla Australia celebrates 150k vehicles on domestic roads
The milestone was announced by the electric vehicle maker on social media platform X.
Tesla has reached a major milestone in Australia, celebrating 150,000 vehicles on local roads.
The milestone was announced by the electric vehicle maker on social media platform X.
Sustainability for all
In its post on X, Tesla Australia and New Zealand noted that the 150,000-vehicle milestone is a notable accomplishment as it accelerates “sustainable abundance for all.” The company also thanked its customers down under for supporting its vehicles over the years.
“Accelerating sustainable abundance for all. Celebrating 150k Teslas on the road. Thank you, Australia,” Tesla Australia and New Zealand wrote in its post on X.
The post was accompanied by a photo of what appeared to be a Quicksilver Model Y premium with the Sydney Opera House in the background. This is an appropriate photo for the EV maker, as the Model Y consistently ranks among Australia’s top-selling electric cars, even as the market becomes flooded with cheaper, newer, and flashier competitors.
Australia’s FSD momentum
Last month, Tesla revealed that FSD Supervised users in Australia and New Zealand have collectively driven over 1 million kilometers within two weeks of the system’s public release. The company noted that drivers are averaging around 80,000 kilometers per day with FSD Supervised active, equivalent to 67 laps around Australia or 625 trips from Auckland to Invercargill.
“In less than 2 weeks, owners have travelled 1 million kilometers on FSD Supervised in AU & NZ,” Tesla’s local account wrote.
Australia became the first right-hand-drive market to gain access to FSD Supervised, which was officially launched in the country on September 18. Coupled with the presence of FSD (Supervised) subscriptions, the adoption of FSD in Australia has been understandably quick.
@teslarati 🚨🚨 Tesla Full Self-Driving and Yap is the best driving experience #tesla #fsd #yapping ♬ I Run – HAVEN.
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