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Owner of Tesla supplier buys 21 Model S to be used as company cars

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Ohio entrepreneur Stanley Chlebowski and owner of  Tesla supply company Maumee Assembly & Stamping has purchased a fleet of 21 Tesla Model S sedans to be used as corporate cars across three companies that he runs.

Maumee Assembly & Stamping, U.S. Utility Contractor Co., and Reliance Rental & Leasing Co. will have 15 Model S to be used as company cars for executives of the three companies. The others will be made available on a lease-to-own basis from Reliable Rental.

Maumee Assembly & Stamping manufacturers body parts for the Tesla Model X, but is also negotiating with Tesla to provide parts for the Model 3, according to The Blade. Chlebowski also wants to become involved in installing Tesla Superchargers through his U.S. Utility company. “I’ve gotta support them,” he said. “I think they’re excited about this. I know my employees that are going to be driving these cars are excited about this.”

“We’re not a dealer — Tesla doesn’t have dealers — but we enjoy working with them,“ Mr. Chlebowski says. ”They are very good to work with, and it’s the jet age. This is the future. The more we dug into these Teslas, the more I liked them. Yes, they’re expensive. You might as well figure the range of $85,000 to $135,000, maybe even a little more, but I wanted to get their attention.”

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The fleet of 21 Tesla Model S were delivered to nearby Brandywine Country Club where several of Chlebowski’s employees were on hand to learn more about the cars from the Tesla representatives. “It’s definitely exciting,” said Travis Barta, Vice President of operations at Maumee Assembly and Stamping. “As you can see, there’s some buzz about it. It’s something we’re passionate about.”

Mr. Chlebowski purchased Muamee Assembly & Stamping in 2010. At that time, the company had 12 employees and was making catalytic converters. Today it has 210 employees and manufactures a variety of parts for several customers, including Tesla and truck maker Navistar.

Maumee is a small city located southwest of Toledo, Ohio. “When you get into manufacturing, especially tool-and-die and industrial electricians, they ain’t out west. They’re not there. The auto industry is here,” Mr. Chlebowski says.

Tesla is anxious to expand its fleet sales program. Chlebowski and his three companies are a prime example of why Teslas make good company cars. He has two Model X SUVs on order that are expected to be delivered in June, bringing the total number of executive-use cars in his fleet to 17.  For Chlebowski, doing business with Tesla is just good business for his own companies.

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Tesla is upgrading airbag safety through a crazy software update

“This upgrade builds upon your vehicle’s superior crash protection by now using Tesla Vision to help offer some of the most cutting-edge airbag performance in the event of a frontal crash.”

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla is upgrading airbag safety through a crazy software update, which will utilize the company’s vision-first approach to enable better protection in the event of an accident.

Over the years, Tesla has gained an incredible reputation for prioritizing safety in its vehicles, with crash test ratings at the forefront of its engineers’ minds.

This has led to Tesla gaining numerous five-star safety ratings and awards related to safety. It is not just a statistical thing, either. In the real world, we’ve seen Teslas demonstrate some impressive examples of crash safety.

Everything from that glass roof not caving in when a tree falls on it to a Model Y surviving a drive off a cliff has been recorded.

However, Tesla is always looking to improve safety, and unlike most companies, it does not need a physical hardware update to do so. It can enhance features such as crash response and airbag performance through Over-the-Air software updates, which download automatically to the vehicle.

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In Tesla’s 2025.32 Software Update, the company is rolling out a Frontal Airbag System Enhancement, which aims to use Tesla Vision, the company’s camera-based approach to self-driving, to keep occupants safe.

The release notes state (via NotaTeslaApp):

“This upgrade builds upon your vehicle’s superior crash protection by now using Tesla Vision to help offer some of the most cutting-edge airbag performance in the event of a frontal crash. Building on top of regulatory and industry crash testing, this release enables front airbags to begin to inflate and restrain occupants earlier, in a way that only Tesla’s integrated systems are capable of doing, making your car safer over time.”

The use of cameras to predict a better time to restrain occupants with seatbelts and inflate airbags prior to a collision is a fantastic way to prevent injuries and limit harm done to those in the vehicle.

The feature is currently limited to the Model Y.

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Elon Musk says this Tesla project will make up vast majority of company value

“~80% of Tesla’s value will be Optimus,” Musk said.

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(Credit: Ryan Lash/TED)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has not shied away from the idea that the company’s value is not reliant on its performance as an automaker.

That idea is even more prudent in today’s landscape than ever, especially as Tesla leans more on its prowess as an AI, autonomy, and robotics company rather than one that just makes electric cars.

Musk solidified that point on Monday, as he revealed that he believes the vast majority of Tesla’s valuation will rely on a project that the company has been developing for several years.

The CEO has long discussed how robotics will revolutionize the labor landscape in factories, households, and other workplaces.

He believes Optimus, as it is rolled out in the coming years, will truly take over as the main contributor to Tesla’s valuation, being worth about 80 percent of the company’s total market cap:

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This is a point Musk has previously discussed, but he has never listed a specific number in terms of what Optimus could mean to Tesla. In the past, he’s mentioned Optimus’s ability to generate long-term revenue potential, its value to the company, and its impact on the market overall.

Musk has said Optimus has the potential to be worth over $10 trillion in revenue:

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“It’s one of those things where I think long term, Optimus will be — Optimus has the potential to be north of $10 trillion in revenue, like it’s really bananas. So, that, you can obviously afford a lot of training compute in that situation. In fact, even $500 billion training compute in that situation would be quite a good deal.”

Optimus has been a main point of discussion amongst analysts who cover the company. Piper Sandler recently released a note that said “Optimus should be moving/staging parts within Tesla’s facilities” by this time next year.

Analysts also said that Optimus could be a major benefit for companies to bring in to handle tedious tasks in manufacturing settings. If it is able to work 18-hour shifts, the firm believes Tesla could price it at $100,000 per unit.

Tesla talks Semi ramp, Optimus, Robotaxi rollout, FSD with Wall Street firm

Other firms, like Morgan Stanley, have said Tesla could replace its own staff by 10 percent with Optimus, saving the company $2.5 billion.

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Tesla appears to be mulling a Cyber SUV design

In a new video titled “Sustainable Abundance,” Tesla was showing the Cybercab clay models being autonomously molded. In the back, there are very clearly several models of a Cybertruck-inspired SUV:

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla appears to be mulling a Cyber SUV design, which would encapsulate the stainless steel exoskeleton of the Cybertruck but with elements of an SUV.

The company has been hearing from consumers and fans for some time that it is in need of a full-size SUV in its lineup.

Tesla is missing one type of vehicle in its lineup and fans want it fast

The Model X is more compact than what people are looking for, and although the company has said its focus for some time would be on developing affordable models and the Cybercab, which only enables two-passenger travel, it appears that it may be considering other options.

In a new video titled “Sustainable Abundance,” Tesla was showing the Cybercab clay models being autonomously molded. In the back, there are very clearly several models of a Cybertruck-inspired SUV:

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This would not be the first time Tesla has placed projects it is developing in the back of a promotional video, as it did something similar when it was unveiling the improvements it made to the new Model Y earlier this year.

It appeared to show two new body styles sitting in the back under car covers:

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There are two things that could prevent this from becoming a future, developed product that reaches the market. One of them seems to be a definitive no, but Tesla’s plans could certainly change, especially given the strong push from fans for this type of vehicle.

Tesla said it wouldn’t build a Stainless Steel exoskeleton vehicle again

Tesla said in its Q4 2024 Shareholder Deck that Cybertruck’s stainless steel exoskeleton would not be used in future vehicles in the top line:

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This seems like a definitive no in terms of developing an SUV based on Cybertruck’s aesthetics. However, that could always change.

Tesla’s main focus in autonomy currently

Developing an SUV of this size has been previously dismissed by Tesla, as its focus is on autonomy, AI, and robotics. However, it will still need to develop attractive and useful vehicles that address a large market, and the United States has a strong affinity for SUVs and crossovers.

It seems totally feasible that Tesla could bring this type of vehicle to market to appease the many fans who have called for the company to build it. Tesla has not committed to anything at this point, which is the most important thing to remember.

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