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Tesla and Volkswagen: from fierce competitors to unlikely allies
Tesla and Volkswagen have established themselves as unlikely allies in the world of turning vehicles toward electrification. However, the two companies did not always see eye to eye, but the tides have certainly changed. Evidence of this comes just a day after Elon Musk took an unexpected stop in Western Germany to see Volkswagen Chairman Herbert Diess.
Years ago, Volkswagen and Tesla were sitting at opposite ends of the spectrum. One company was a well-established marvel of German automotive manufacturing, while the other was struggling to rally enough capital to keep its own production efforts moving forward.
However, 2020 has given the two companies and effective dose of the “Freaky Friday” treatment, where the former automaker is struggling to keep functioning EVs on the road. Meanwhile, the latter is surging forward the charge to electrification and maintains a healthy lead over other companies that are attempting to follow in their steps.
But from 2008 to 2015, Volkswagen was far from ever being considered a Tesla ally. The German automaker was violating the EPA’s Clean Air Act by knowingly placing cheat devices in their car’s emissions systems. The scandal, known as Dieselgate, set a semi-permanent mark in the minds of the environmentally-conscious.
Many swore never to consider repurchasing a Volkswagen vehicle, but the company has won some prominent figures in the EV community. Most notably, Elon Musk. But the relationship wasn’t always healthy.
Musk was critical of a conspiracy that a Volkswagen employee was criticizing Tesla through a fake name. According to numerous sources, Diess had the situation handled, but the drama between the two companies didn’t necessarily end there.
Dieselgate was still slightly in the head of Musk. The CEO mentioned that Tesla’s HEPA grade filter was needed while sitting in close traffic because toxic tailpipe emissions could affect the air quality of those who occupy vehicles that are around. “Good thing gas/diesel carmakers didn’t cheat on their emissions or we’d be in real trouble,” Musk joked, indirectly taking a jab at Volkswagen’s wrongdoing.
In close traffic, poisonous gas spewing from the car in front of you goes straight into your AC intake. Good thing gas/diesel carmakers didn’t cheat on their emissions or we’d be in real trouble 😅
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2019
However, Musk has recognized that Diess is an ally and is driving Volkswagen toward electrification. The Tesla CEO even said that Diess is “doing more than any big carmaker to go electric. For what it’s worth, he has my support.”
Musk and Diess then appeared on stage together at the Golden Steering Wheel Awards in Berlin last November, trading compliments and smiling from ear to ear with encouragement. The two had shown their business ventures had resulted in a healthy friendship, and Musk even announced that Tesla would be bringing a new facility to Berlin on the same evening.

In early September 2020, Musk flew to Germany to conduct business. His final stop on his quick tour of the country was to pay his friend Diess a brief visit, where Musk drove the ID.3 from Volkswagen and took a peek at the Model Y’s competition in the ID.4. With Giga Berlin moving along swiftly and Tesla intending to start manufacturing vehicles in July 2021, it would seem that Diess would want to keep a competitor at bay and not reveal his plans for an electric car. But he was more than willing to show Musk around. Why?
While company collaborations are rare in the automotive sector, a Tesla and Volkswagen one wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea. The two companies have executives that are more than willing to show their products to each other, and the two could also help each other in improving their businesses. Volkswagen has been building cars in Germany since 1937. Eighty-five years of market data could help Tesla make an enormous impact on the German market, and Volkswagen could undoubtedly share some hints if Tesla required them.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen has had a very public problem with its MEB infrastructure within the ID family of cars. Tesla, on the other hand, has established itself as the most prominent figure in terms of software and EV tech, and it could always lend a helping hand to Volkswagen, especially considering Musk is more than willing to help electrified fleets come to life. “Tesla is open to licensing software and supplying powertrains & batteries,” Musk said to Teslarati In July. “We’re just trying to accelerate sustainable energy, not crush competitors!
Whether the two companies decide to help, each other remains to be seen. But, the partnership will help both Tesla and Volkswagen out, and in the big picture, enable the acceleration to sustainable energy to occur faster.
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Tesla Full Self-Driving shows stunning maneuver in Europe to silence skeptics
In a striking demonstration of autonomous driving prowess, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system recently showcased its capabilities on the narrow rural roads of the Netherlands. Captured in two in-car videos, the system encountered scenarios that would challenge even the most experienced human drivers.
Tesla Full Self-Driving, fresh on the heels of its approval for operation on European roads for the first time, showed off a stunning maneuver that will certainly silence any skeptics on the continent.
Fresh off its approval in the Netherlands, Full Self-Driving is working toward a significant expansion into more parts of Europe.
In a striking demonstration of autonomous driving prowess, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system recently showcased its capabilities on the narrow rural roads of the Netherlands. Captured in two in-car videos, the system encountered scenarios that would challenge even the most experienced human drivers.
In the first clip, a wide tractor occupied more than half the lane on a tight two-way road. Rather than braking abruptly or forcing a collision risk, FSD smoothly edged the vehicle onto the adjacent bike path—using the extra space with precision—before seamlessly returning to the lane once clear.
The second clip was equally demanding: while overtaking a group of cyclists, an oncoming car approached at speed.
FSD maintained a safe, minimal buffer to the cyclists while timing the pass perfectly, avoiding any swerve or hesitation that could unsettle passengers or other road users.
People wonder if FSD is safe on narrow European roads. Well have a look what it did when a tractor took up more than half of the road or when overtaking bicycles with fast oncoming traffic. pic.twitter.com/z37Csa09sP
— Chanan Bos (@ChananBos) April 14, 2026
This maneuver highlights FSD’s advanced spatial reasoning and predictive planning. On roads often under three meters wide, with no room for error, the system calculated available clearance in real time, incorporated shoulder and path geometry, and executed a controlled deviation without compromising safety.
It treated the bike path as a legitimate extension of navigable space, something many drivers might hesitate to do, while respecting Dutch road norms and cyclist priority.
Such feats align closely with a growing library of impressive FSD maneuvers documented on camera worldwide.
In urban Amsterdam, for instance, FSD has navigated the world’s densest cyclist environments, weaving through hundreds of unpredictable bike movements on canal-side streets with tram tracks and pedestrians.
One uncut drive showed it yielding smoothly at crossings, overtaking where needed, and even handling a near-perfect auto-park in a tight residential spot, demonstrating the same low-speed precision seen in the rural clips.
Teslas using FSD have tackled turbo roundabouts in the Netherlands, complex multi-lane circles notorious for geometry challenges, merging confidently while yielding to traffic. Similar clips depict smooth handling of construction zones, emergency vehicle pull-overs, and gated parking barriers, where the car stops precisely, waits for clearance, and proceeds without driver input.
Collectively, these examples illustrate FSD’s evolution toward handling the unpredictable.
The rural Netherlands maneuvers aren’t isolated. Instead, they reflect a pattern of spatial awareness, cyclist deference, and traffic anticipation seen from city streets to highways.
As FSD continues refining through real-world data, videos like this one are certainly building a compelling case for its readiness on Europe’s varied roads.
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Tesla utilizes its ‘Rave Cave’ for new awesome safety feature
Part of the massive interior overhaul of both the Model 3 “Highland” and Model Y “Juniper” was the addition of interior accent lighting to help bring out the mood of the vehicle, increase the customization of the interior, and to create a unique listening experience.
Tesla is utilizing its ‘Rave Cave’ for an awesome new safety feature that will arrive with the upcoming Spring Update for 2026.
Part of the massive interior overhaul of both the Model 3 “Highland” and Model Y “Juniper” was the addition of interior accent lighting to help bring out the mood of the vehicle, increase the customization of the interior, and to create a unique listening experience.
Tesla added a Sync Lights feature that will strobe the accent strips with the beat of the music.
It is one of the most unique and one of the coolest non-functional features of a Tesla, as it does not improve the driving of the vehicle, but makes it a cool and personal addition to the interior.
However, Tesla is going to take it one step further, as the Rave Cave lights will now be used for blind spot recognition. This feature will be added as the Spring 2026 Update starts to roll out.
A lot of CRAZY new features coming with Tesla’s 2026 Spring Update, including a new FSD app!
– Self-Driving App (AI4 hardware): New app in App Launcher > Self-Driving for one-tap FSD subscriptions, activation guides, and ongoing stats.
– “Hey Grok”: Voice-activated Grok with… https://t.co/ljeYPlq9Qt— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 13, 2026
Tesla writes:
“Accent lights now turn red when an object is in your blind spot and your turn signal is engaged, or when an approaching object is detected while parked.”
This neat new safety feature will now increase the likelihood of a driver, who is operating their Tesla manually, of seeing the blind spot warnings that are currently available on the A pillar and on the center touchscreen.
These new alerts will now warn drivers of cross traffic as they back out of a parking space with little to no visibility of what is coming. It is a great new addition that will only increase the safety of the vehicles, while also utilizing something that is already installed in these specific Model 3 and Model Y units.
The Model 3 and Model Y were the central focus of the Spring 2026 Update, especially considering the fact that the Model S and Model X are basically gone, with only a few hundred units left. Additionally, Tesla included new Immersive Sound and Car Visualization for the Model 3 and Model Y specifically in this new update.
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Tesla parked 50+ Cybercabs outside its Texas Factory with some crash tested
Dozens of Tesla Cybercabs have been spotted at Giga Texas crash testing facility ahead of launch.
Drone footage captured by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer shows over 50 units of Tesla Cybercab at the Austin factory campus, including several units clustered by Tesla’s on-site crash testing facility.
The outbound lot at Gigafactory Texas sits just outside the factory exit and serves as the primary staging area where finished vehicles are held before being loaded onto transport carriers or dispatched for validation testing. On any given day, the lot holds a mix of Model Y and Cybertruck units alongside the growing Tesla Cybercab fleet, as can be seen in the drone footage captured by Joe Tegtmeyer.
Roughly 50 Cybercab units are visible across the campus, parked in tight organized rows. Most of the units visible still carry steering wheels and pedals, temporary additions Tesla included to satisfy current safety regulations while the vehicles accumulate real-world data ahead of full regulatory approval for a steering wheel-free design. Tesla operates dedicated Crash Labs at both its Giga Texas and Fremont facilities that are purpose-built for controlled structural crash tests. Historically, automakers begin intensive crash testing roughly one to two months before volume production kicks off. The Cybertruck followed almost exactly that pattern. The Cybercab appears to be on the same track facility that we first saw back in October 2025. The first production Cybercab rolled off the Giga Texas line on February 17, 2026. Volume production is now targeted for April. Musk previously wrote on X that “the early production rate will be agonizingly slow, but eventually end up being insanely fast,” and separately stated Tesla is targeting at least 2 million Cybercab units per year. Commercial robotaxi service in Austin is targeted for late 2026.


