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TSLA: German readers urged to help bring Elon Musk ‘to his knees’ by betting against Tesla

A Tesla logo on the Gigafactory Berlin site. (Credit: @gigafactory_4/Twitter)

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Tesla is no stranger to entities that are actively betting against it. Being one of the most shorted companies for years means that it is used to attacks from several fronts. But recently, Tesla ended up on the receiving end of what could very well be the strangest efforts against it to date. 

Just recently, Frankfurter Allgemeine, one of Germany’s esteemed veteran news agencies, urged its readers to bet against Tesla and Elon Musk. The publication did not provide many details or computations to justify its thesis, though it did argue that Tesla’s valuation is far too large for an automaker that profits so little from selling cars. 

Using this logic, the FAZ noted that Daimler, which posted a profit that’s 10x as high as Tesla, should be valued at 2,200 billion euros (or about $2.65T) conservatively. This, is, of course, a gross generalization of Tesla’s business that discounts several critical parts of the company, such as its energy business and its software. However, the newspaper did note that there is a good way to address Tesla’s over-valuation.

This is where things become interesting. The report then proceeded to urge readers to help short Tesla stock. The newspaper shared its stance in the following section. “That shouldn’t hold us back now, on the contrary, only by joining forces can it finally succeed in bringing the magician of the markets, who Elon Musk undoubtedly still is, to his knees,” the FAZ said. 

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Overall, the German news agency’s advice is quite strange considering that shorting Tesla is arguably one of the riskiest strategies in the market today. Tesla may have remained heavily shorted for years, but it is also known for burning those who short it to a significant degree. In 2020 alone, Tesla short-sellers lost $40 billion as the company’s shares surged. 

Those who bet against Tesla on the advice of the FAZ should then be prepared for the risks of such a decision. Tesla is a volatile stock, after all, and when it breaks out, it tends to reach impressive highs. This was evident in November 2020, when Tesla shorts lost $8.5 billion in that one month alone. Tesla is also deep into projects that may be positive drivers for its stock as well, such as the rollout of its Full Self-Driving Beta software, as well as the release of vehicles like the Semi and the Cybertruck. 

Ironically, Elon Musk actually has a soft spot for retail shareholders. During his brief take-private attempt back in 2018, which saw him trying to sell the company to Apple, Musk’s decision to keep the EV maker private was reportedly influenced in part by the adverse effects of the privatization to retail shareholders. One can only hope that those who take the FAZ‘s advice are willing to take the ride, despite the chances that it may prove to be a painful one. 

Disclaimer: I am long TSLA.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk

Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared that Full Self-Driving (FSD) could receive regulatory approval in the Netherlands as soon as March 20, potentially marking a major step forward for Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance rollout in Europe.

Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin, noting that the date was provided by local authorities.

“Tesla has the most advanced real-world AI, and hopefully, it will be approved soon in Europe. We’re told by the authorities that March 20th, it’ll be approved in the Netherlands,’ what I was told,” Musk stated

“Hopefully, that date remains the same. But I think people in Europe are going to be pretty blown away by how good the Tesla car AI is in being able to drive.”

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Tesla’s FSD system relies on vision-based neural networks trained on real-world driving data, allowing vehicles to navigate using cameras and AI rather than traditional sensor-heavy solutions. 

The performance of FSD Supervised has so far been impressive. As per Tesla’s safety report, Full Self-Driving Supervised has already traveled 8.3 billion miles. So far, vehicles operating with FSD Supervised engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. 

In comparison, Teslas driven manually with Active Safety systems recorded one major collision every 2,175,763 miles, while Teslas driven manually without Active Safety recorded one major collision every 855,132 miles. The U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.

If approval is granted on March 20, the Netherlands could become the first European market to greenlight Tesla’s latest supervised FSD (Supervised) software under updated regulatory frameworks. Tesla has been working to secure expanded FSD access across Europe, where regulatory standards differ significantly from those in the United States. Approval in the Netherlands would likely serve as a foundation for broader EU adoption, though additional country-level clearances may still be required.

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Elon Musk estimates Tesla Semi could reach Europe next year

“We’ve got the Tesla Semi coming out, the heavy truck, and that’ll be going to Europe hopefully next year,” Musk said.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is preparing to expand its all-electric Semi truck program to Europe, with CEO Elon Musk indicating that the Class 8 vehicle could arrive in the region 2027.

Musk shared his update during an interview about Giga Berlin with plant manager André Thierig, which was posted on X by the official Tesla Manufacturing account.

“We’ve got the Tesla Semi coming out, the heavy truck, and that’ll be going to Europe hopefully next year,” he said.

Tesla has already begun limited production and customer deployments of the Tesla Semi in the United States, with the company working to scale output through the Semi factory near Giga Nevada. Considering Musk’s comments, it appears that a European rollout would be the next phase of the vehicle’s expansion beyond North America.

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Musk’s use of the word “hopefully” leaves room for flexibility, but the remark signals that Europe is next in Tesla’s commercial expansion plans.

Musk has consistently argued that electrification should extend beyond passenger vehicles. During the same interview, he reiterated his view that “all ground transport should be electric,” adding that ships, and eventually aircraft, would follow.

The Semi plays a central role in that strategy. Heavy-duty freight remains one of the most emissions-intensive segments of road transport, and European regulators have increasingly pushed for lower-emission commercial fleets. 

Tesla recently refreshed the Semi lineup on its official website, listing two variants: Standard and Long Range. The Standard trim offers up to 325 miles of range with an energy consumption rating of 1.7 kWh per mile, while the Long Range version provides up to 500 miles, which should be more than ample for European routes.

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Tesla Cybercab coming next to Giga Berlin, Optimus possibly after

“From a next major product standpoint, I think most likely is the Tesla Cybercab,” Musk said.

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Credit: Cybercab

Tesla could add the Cybercab and Optimus humanoid robot to the production lineup at Giga Berlin, as per recent comments from CEO Elon Musk. 

During a recent interview with Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig, Musk identified the Cybercab as the most likely next major product for the German factory, with Optimus potentially following after.

“From a next major product standpoint, I think most likely is the Tesla Cybercab,” Musk said. He added that there are also “possibilities of Tesla Optimus” being produced in the facility.

Tesla has already begun production of the Cybercab in Giga Texas, with volume production expected to ramp this year. Based on Musk’s comments, it appears that if conditions align in Europe, Giga Berlin could eventually join that effort.

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The CEO’s comments about Optimus coming to Gigafactory Berlin are quite unsurprising too considering that Musk has mentioned in the past that the humanoid robot will likely be Tesla’s highest volume product in the long run. 

Giga Berlin will likely be able to produce mass volumes of Optimus, as the Model S and Model X lines being converted to an Optimus line in the Fremont Factory are already expected to produce 1 million units of the humanoid robot annually. 

Apart from his comments about the Cybercab and Optimus, Elon Musk also confirmed that Giga Berlin has started ramping battery cell production and will continue expanding Model Y output, particularly as supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) gains regulatory approvals in Europe.

Taken together, the remarks suggest Berlin’s role could evolve beyond vehicle assembly into a broader multi-product manufacturing hub, not just a regional Model Y plant.

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