

News
Toyota bZ4X production to resume after fixing loose wheel recall, new airbag issue
Toyota Motor Corp. noted on Thursday that it would be resuming the production of its all-electric crossover and Model Y fighter, the bZ4X. The Japanese automaker revealed that it had found a resolution for the vehicles’ safety issues, which have caused the bZ4X’s sales to be suspended for more than three months.
Toyota recalled about 2,700 bZ4X units in June after learning that the vehicle’s wheels may come off while it’s operating on the road. A recall notice sent to Japan’s transport ministry indicated that sharp turns and sudden braking in the bZ4X might cause a hub bolt to loosen, raising the danger of a wheel falling off.
So notable were the safety issues of the bZ4X that Toyota asked owners of the all-electric crossover to stop driving their cars until a resolution to the recall could be found. Eventually, bZ4X owners in the United States shared communication from Toyota, which indicated that the company was already open to the idea of repurchasing the vehicle.
The bZ4X’s sister unit, the Subaru Solterra, was also recalled for the same issue. However, the problem was not too notable for Subaru as deliveries of the Solterra were yet to begin. Toyota, on the other hand, had already delivered the bZ4X to customers in several countries before the vehicle’s safety issues were discovered.
As noted in an Autoblog report, a filing from Toyota stated that the company would make sure hub bolts on the bZ4X were replaced and properly tightened moving forward. Interestingly enough, Toyota also revealed that it had actually identified another safety issue in the bZ4X — this time with the vehicle’s airbags.
Since some airbags were not properly installed at the factory, the bZ4X’s airbag units risk failure. They may also result in injuries due to the placement of a strap inside the airbag assembly. This issue has not been disclosed by the Japanese automaker previously, though Chief Technology Officer Masahiko Maeda noted that the company had been aware of the bZ4X’s airbag problems in the last month or so.
“We apologize again for the concern, anxiety, and inconvenience we have caused to our customers, our dealers, and our stakeholders,” Maeda said.
With the bZ4X now restarting production, customers in Japan can lease the vehicle again starting October 26, 2022. It should be noted that the bZ4X is only available for lease in Japan. Maeda, however, did not indicate when sales of the Model Y fighter in territories such as the United States would be resuming.
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Elon Musk
Tesla’s new Robotaxi geofence shape is an FU by Elon Musk to the competition
Maybe it’s all pareidolia. But maybe it’s not. After all, Tesla embraced the first geofence expansion for what it appeared to be.

Tesla expanded its Robotaxi geofence in Austin once again early Sunday morning. The new shape seems to be somewhat of a proverbial, and potentially literal, middle finger to the competition.
If you thought the first expansion was a message to the competition and doubters of the company’s ride-hailing service, you probably will believe the second expansion is an even stronger gesture.
Tesla’s first expansion did not go unnoticed, as its shape was particularly recognizable. The company has always operated with a sense of humor, and it embraced what it did. Some, including me, took it as a message to competitors: We can expand in any direction, in any size, at any time. We’ll prove it.”
They picked a shape and went with it:
Tesla’s Robotaxi expansion wasn’t a joke, it was a warning to competitors
It is evident that Tesla is keeping its humor up to continue to show a few things. The first is that it really can expand in any direction it wants and that’s how it is choosing to show it.
The second, well, maybe it’s an edgier way to show doubters that it is really executing on Robotaxi:
Tesla has expanded the Austin RoboTaxi network.
Looks like a giant middle finger.
Giant F U to the competition? 🤷🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/tcaIxdQk10
— Farzad (@farzyness) August 3, 2025
all I see is Tesla giving the middle finger pic.twitter.com/P4otjxSCQm
— Daniel Harding (@ArchamusDK) August 3, 2025
Maybe it’s all pareidolia. But maybe it’s not. After all, Tesla embraced the first geofence expansion for what it appeared to be. This might be a similar occurrence, and it might be sending another message to the competition, critics, and doubters.
The expansion was a near-doubling of the geofence Tesla offered previously. After the initial geofence covered just about 20 square miles, Tesla was able to more than double it to 42 square miles with the first growth. This new geofence shape was just under double, and is about 80 square miles.
Tesla’s rapid expansion has impressed many, especially considering the service area has roughly doubled for the second time in well under two months. The Robotaxi service was first offered on June 22.
Elon Musk
Tesla executes ‘a must’ with Musk as race to AI supremacy goes on: Wedbush
Dan Ives of Wedbush says Tesla made the right move getting Elon Musk his pay package.

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) executed what Wedbush’s Dan Ives called “a must” this morning as it finalized a new pay package for its CEO Elon Musk.
The move helped give Musk his first meaningful compensation at Tesla since 2017, when the company offered a pay package that was based on performance and proven growth. That package was approved by shareholders on two separate occasions, but was denied to Musk both times by the Delaware Chancery Court.
On Monday, Tesla announced on X that it had created a new package that would give 96 million shares of restricted stock to Musk to compensate him for the “immense value generated for Tesla and all our shareholders.”
🚨 BREAKING: Tesla has announced that its Board has unanimously approved a recommendation from the Special Committee of the Board to grant Elon an award of restricted stock equal to approximately one-third of the compensation he earned under the 2018 CEO Performance Award.
The… https://t.co/g7RKrTymDL pic.twitter.com/dnvkILlz6H
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 4, 2025
The details of the pay package are designed to retain Musk, who has voiced some concerns about his control of Tesla, as “activist shareholders” have used lawsuits to disrupt the previously approved package.
You can read all the details of it here:
Tesla rewards CEO Elon Musk with massive, restricted stock package
Ives says Musk’s retention is ‘a must’
Ives said in a note to investors on Monday that with the raging AI talent war that Tesla made a smart move by doing what it could to retain Musk.
He wrote:
“With the AI talent war now fully underway across Big Tech, we believe this was a strategic move to keep TSLA’s top asset, Musk, would stay focused at the company with his priority being to bolster the company’s growth strategy over the coming years. With this interim award increasing Musk’s voting rights upon this grant, which Musk honed in on and mentioned was increasingly important to incentivize him to stay focused on the matters at hand, this was a strategic move by the Board to solidify Musk as CEO of Tesla over the coming years with this framework for Musk’s pay package and greater voting control removing a major overhang on the story.”
He went on to say:
“While the groundwork is now in place for the next few years, it will be critical for the Tesla Board of Directors to get this long-term compensation strategy in place prior to the company’s November 6th shareholder meeting which would address the elephant in the room and remove a significant overhang on the stock.”
Wedbush maintained its Outperform rating and its $500 price target on the stock.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reveals ideal timeline for insane self-driving feature
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has extremely optimistic expectations for Full Self-Driving progress by the end of 2025.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed his ideal timeline for what would likely be the most insane self-driving feature: the ability for drivers to play video games at the wheel.
There are a handful of videos out there of drivers already performing this task. Nobody using Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite should perform these activities, as the company maintains the system is not fully autonomous.
Drivers are responsible for the vehicle and should be prepared to take over.
Tesla has put a lot of faith in its development of Full Self-Driving and has made tremendous strides over the past few years. Capabilities have gotten more refined and accurate through various methods, including data collection and hardware improvements.
Tesla kicks Robotaxi geofence expansion into high gear in Austin
It has gotten so good that Tesla launched a Robotaxi platform in Austin, Texas, on June 22. Passengers can hop in the back of a Model Y and will be transported around the city in a confined geofence that is about 90 square miles in size. There is nobody in the driver’s seat, but there is a Safety Monitor in the passenger’s seat.
Tesla launched a similar experience in California’s Bay Area last week, but the company has placed the Safety Monitor in the driver’s seat for that region for the time being.
Eventually, Tesla will get to a point where no monitor is needed, and the vehicles will be able to drive themselves. Many believe that it is a few years away, but Musk believes Tesla could achieve it very soon.
After a video of someone playing Grand Theft Auto in their Cybertruck while operating Full Self-Driving was shared on the social media platform X, Musk said this capability would be available in “probably 3 to 6 months, depending on regulatory approval in your city and state.”
Probably 3 to 6 months, depending on regulatory approval in your city and state
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2025
It is important to remember that Musk has been very optimistic regarding autonomy timelines with Tesla projects. We heard for many years that the company would have self-driving vehicles “by the end of the year,” and those projects did not come to fruition.
While there was progress, there were no fully autonomous vehicles or software versions for customers.
With that being said, Tesla has made tremendous strides in its quest for autonomous vehicles this year, and launching a Robotaxi platform was a huge step in the right direction.
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