News
Tesla vandal poses for Sentry Mode before aggressively stabbing Model 3 tires
A new video has surfaced of a man in CA slashing a Tesla Model 3’s tire, leaving the impression that the vandalism incidents against all-electric vehicles is far from over.
A YouTube account by the name of Le Go posted a video on December 4 of a man stabbing one of his Model 3’s tires during a particularly rainy night. Interestingly, the vandal actually seemed like he was aware he was being recorded, looking directly at the Model 3’s side cameras before dropping his bags of groceries, pulling out his cell phone flashlight, and pulling out a pocket knife. He then proceeded to stab the Model 3’s tire multiple times.
The man did suspiciously look around for others in the area to make sure he was not being watched by anyone. Fortunately, the car he was vandalizing was capturing the entire act on camera with a clear image of his face.
Let's catch this guy! Spread the word: A vandal slashing a tire of a Tesla Model 3. Video: https://t.co/ow7G0iJgnO pic.twitter.com/0HfSRnloPh
— Tesletter (@tesletter) December 5, 2019
The Tesla Model 3 owner provided some background on the incident in the description of his YouTube upload.
“The incident happened around 3 AM when the car was parked by the leasing office of a rental apartment community in Newport Beach, CA. When I found out one of the tires was flat on my way to work, I checked the recordings made by the car. Its Sentry mode saves videos of all suspicious activities around the car from 4 cameras, one on each side.
After I got a loaner wheel from Tesla I brought the evidence to the police station. I was told by the police that there were other cars in the same area which had their tires slashed the same night. Apparently, the crime was not Tesla-targeting, but it was a Tesla Model 3 which caught the suspect on camera. The investigation is ongoing. I will keep you posted. If you happen to know this guy, please call NBPD.”
In the past few months, Sentry Mode has captured many incidents of Tesla vehicles being targeted in attacks. The most popular form of vandalism is keying, but Sentry Mode and Tesla’s Dashcam have managed to capture many different forms of hazing, including a recent “Coal Roll” attack in Miami, Florida. Luckily, many of these culprits and perpetrators have been brought to justice.
The repeated targeting of these events is eye-opening for a community of people who are driving cars that help our environment. There is an evident hatred of electric vehicles by people, and the specific reasons are unknown. However, Sentry Mode gives Tesla owners the opportunity to capture the perpetrators on camera, an advantage that other car brands do not have.
You can watch Le Go’s video of his Tesla Model 3 being vandalized below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-iBSEfQWKk&feature=youtu.be
Tesla has given its biggest hint that Full Self-Driving in Europe is imminent, as a new feature seems to show that the company is preparing for frequent border crossings.
Tesla owner and influencer BLKMDL3, also known as Zack, recently took his Tesla to the border of California and Mexico at Tijuana, and at the international crossing, Full Self-Driving showed an interesting message: “Upcoming country border — FSD (Supervised) will become unavailable.”
FSD now shows a new message when approaching an international border crossing.
Stayed engaged the whole way as we crossed the border and worked great in Mexico! pic.twitter.com/bDzyLnyq0g
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) January 26, 2026
Due to regulatory approvals, once a Tesla operating on Full Self-Driving enters a new country, it is required to comply with the laws and regulations that are applicable to that territory. Even if legal, it seems Tesla will shut off FSD temporarily, confirming it is in a location where operation is approved.
This is something that will be extremely important in Europe, as crossing borders there is like crossing states in the U.S.; it’s pretty frequent compared to life in America, Canada, and Mexico.
Tesla has been working to get FSD approved in Europe for several years, and it has been getting close to being able to offer it to owners on the continent. However, it is still working through a lot of the red tape that is necessary for European regulators to approve use of the system on their continent.
This feature seems to be one that would be extremely useful in Europe, considering the fact that crossing borders into other countries is much more frequent than here in the U.S., and would cater to an area where approvals would differ.
Tesla has been testing FSD in Spain, France, England, and other European countries, and plans to continue expanding this effort. European owners have been fighting for a very long time to utilize the functionality, but the red tape has been the biggest bottleneck in the process.
Tesla Europe builds momentum with expanding FSD demos and regional launches
Tesla operates Full Self-Driving in the United States, China, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.
Elon Musk
SpaceX Starship V3 gets launch date update from Elon Musk
The first flight of Starship Version 3 and its new Raptor V3 engines could happen as early as March.
Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX’s next Starship launch, Flight 12, is expected in about six weeks. This suggests that the first flight of Starship Version 3 and its new Raptor V3 engines could happen as early as March.
In a post on X, Elon Musk stated that the next Starship launch is in six weeks. He accompanied his announcement with a photo that seemed to have been taken when Starship’s upper stage was just about to separate from the Super Heavy Booster. Musk did not state whether SpaceX will attempt to catch the Super Heavy Booster during the upcoming flight.
The upcoming flight will mark the debut of Starship V3. The upgraded design includes the new Raptor V3 engine, which is expected to have nearly twice the thrust of the original Raptor 1, at a fraction of the cost and with significantly reduced weight. The Starship V3 platform is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability.
The Starship V3 Flight 12 launch timeline comes as SpaceX pursues an aggressive development cadence for the fully reusable launch system. Previous iterations of Starship have racked up a mixed but notable string of test flights, including multiple integrated flight tests in 2025.
Interestingly enough, SpaceX has teased an aggressive timeframe for Starship V3’s first flight. Way back in late November, SpaceX noted on X that it will be aiming to launch Starship V3’s maiden flight in the first quarter of 2026. This was despite setbacks like a structural anomaly on the first V3 booster during ground testing.
“Starship’s twelfth flight test remains targeted for the first quarter of 2026,” the company wrote in its post on X.
News
Tesla China rolls out Model 3 insurance subsidy through February
Eligible customers purchasing a Model 3 by February 28 can receive an insurance subsidy worth RMB 8,000 (about $1,150).
Tesla has rolled out a new insurance subsidy for Model 3 buyers in China, adding another incentive as the automaker steps up promotions in the world’s largest electric vehicle market.
Eligible customers purchasing a Model 3 by February 28 can receive an insurance subsidy worth RMB 8,000 (about $1,150).
A limited-time subsidy
The insurance subsidy, which was announced by Tesla China on Weibo, applies to the Model 3 RWD, Long Range RWD, and Long Range AWD variants. Tesla stated that the offer is available to buyers who complete their purchase on or before February 28, as noted in a CNEV Post report. The starting prices for these variants are RMB 235,500, RMB 259,500, and RMB 285,500, respectively.
The Tesla Model 3 Performance, which starts at RMB 339,500, is excluded from the subsidy. The company has previously used insurance incentives at the beginning of the year to address softer seasonal demand in China’s auto market. The program is typically phased out as sales conditions stabilize over the year.
China’s electric vehicle market
The insurance subsidy followed Tesla’s launch of a 7-year low-interest financing plan in China on January 6, which is aimed at improving vehicle affordability amid changing policy conditions. After Tesla introduced the financing program, several automakers, such as Xiaomi, Li Auto, Xpeng, and Voyah, introduced similar long-term financing options.
China’s electric vehicle market has faced additional headwinds entering 2026. Buyers of new energy vehicles are now subject to a 5% purchase tax, compared with the previous full exemption. At the same time, vehicle trade-in subsidies in several cities are expected to expire in mid-November.
Tesla’s overall sales in China declined in 2025, with deliveries totaling 625,698 vehicles, down 4.78% year-over-year. Model 3 deliveries increased 13.33% to 200,361 units, while Model Y deliveries, which were hampered by the changeover to the new Model Y in the first quarter, fell 11.45% to 425,337 units.
Tesla gives its biggest hint that Full Self-Driving in Europe is imminent
SpaceX Starship V3 gets launch date update from Elon Musk
