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Video of Tesla Model 3 production car at Fremont factory

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave the world a glimpse of the first Model 3 production car over the weekend when he tweeted photos of the gorgeous electric sedan in black. One of the photos showed the Model 3 set in front of the large Tesla logo at the company’s Fremont, California factory and Supercharger site.

A video would soon follow, posted by TehBestGamer505 to YouTube, showing Musk’s serial number 1 Model 3 getting positioned for its first official photo shoot.

“Can you put it there?” asks the unidentified person seen in the video, as they direct the Model 3 driver to back “over the no crossing sign”.  “Oh yeah, that looks good now” says a member of the Tesla team responsible for shooting the first glamour shot of the car.

 

Seen in the video is Model 3’s optional all glass roof and a first look of the production door handles in action. Contrary to the reverse-pivoting action of the door handles found on the Model 3 Alpha car from last year’s March 31st unveiling event, the door handles on the production car pivots with the rearmost portion of the handle articulating outwards.

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However, the biggest feature that viewers may not have noticed on the Model 3 is what appears to be a self-opening front door. Throughout the video, the driver in the Model 3 can be seen opening and closing the door on several occasions. Each time the door is seen opening with the same style of motion and at similar speed as Model X’s self-presenting front door. The sound of the motorized door hinge can be heard at roughly the 8-second mark of the video when the front door swings open to its maximum opening position – the same sound heard in Model X’s self-presenting front door.

Then, at the 48-second mark of the video, the driver can be seen effortlessly unlatching and opening the front door from within the driver’s seat with only their left hand. Though it appears that the unlatching of the front door is facilitated through a single switch, as we first revealed in our Tesla Model 3 hidden details story, the motion of the door hinge once again validates Tesla’s use of, likely, a motorized mechanism in the door similar to that of Model X.

Finally, at the 1:32 minute marker of the video, the Model 3 driver can be seen pushing on the skinny front portion of the aerodynamic door handle to unlatch the door. The front door appears to swing open on its own while the driver seemingly waits for the door to self-open before entering. Again, like the Model X.

That’s right. Elon Musk could present a self-opening front door feature at the July 28 Model 3 ‘handover party’.

Watch the video below and let us know what you think.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2_5-bJUEMY

I'm friendly. You can email me. gene@teslarati.com

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s xAI closes upsized $20B Series E funding round

xAI announced the investment round in a post on its official website. 

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Credit: xAI

xAI has closed an upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, exceeding the initial $15 billion target to fuel rapid infrastructure scaling and AI product development. 

xAI announced the investment round in a post on its official website. 

A $20 billion Series E round

As noted by the artificial intelligence startup in its post, the Series E funding round attracted a diverse group of investors, including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among others. 

Strategic partners NVIDIA and Cisco Investments also continued support for building the world’s largest GPU clusters.

As xAI stated, “This financing will accelerate our world-leading infrastructure buildout, enable the rapid development and deployment of transformative AI products reaching billions of users, and fuel groundbreaking research advancing xAI’s core mission: Understanding the Universe.”

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xAI’s core mission

Th Series E funding builds on xAI’s previous rounds, powering Grok advancements and massive compute expansions like the Memphis supercluster. The upsized demand reflects growing recognition of xAI’s potential in frontier AI.

xAI also highlighted several of its breakthroughs in 2025, from the buildout of Colossus I and II, which ended with over 1 million H100 GPU equivalents, and the rollout of the Grok 4 Series, Grok Voice, and Grok Imagine, among others. The company also confirmed that work is already underway to train the flagship large language model’s next iteration, Grok 5. 

“Looking ahead, Grok 5 is currently in training, and we are focused on launching innovative new consumer and enterprise products that harness the power of Grok, Colossus, and 𝕏 to transform how we live, work, and play,” xAI wrote. 

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Investor's Corner

Tesla gets price target bump, citing growing lead in self-driving

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) stock received a price target update from Pierre Ferragu of Wall Street firm New Street Research, citing the company’s growing lead in self-driving and autonomy.

On Tuesday, Ferragu bumped his price target from $520 to $600, stating that the consensus from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was that Tesla’s lead in autonomy has been sustained, is growing, and sits at a multiple-year lead over its competitors.

CES 2026 validates Tesla’s FSD strategy, but there’s a big lag for rivals: analyst

“The signal from Vegas is loud and clear,” the analyst writes. “The industry isn’t catching up to Tesla; it is actively validating Tesla’s strategy…just with a 12-year lag.”

The note shows that the company’s prowess in vehicle autonomy is being solidified by lagging competitors that claim to have the best method. The only problem is that Tesla’s Vision-based approach, which it adopted back in 2022 with the Model 3 and Model Y initially, has been proven to be more effective than competitors’ approach, which utilizes other technology, such as LiDAR and sensors.

Currently, Tesla shares are sitting at around $433, as the company’s stock price closed at $432.96 on Tuesday afternoon.

Ferragu’s consensus on Tesla shares echoes that of other Wall Street analysts who are bullish on the company’s stock and position within the AI, autonomy, and robotics sector.

Dan Ives of Wedbush wrote in a note in mid-December that he anticipates Tesla having a massive 2026, and could reach a $3 trillion valuation this year, especially with the “AI chapter” taking hold of the narrative at the company.

Ives also said that the big step in the right direction for Tesla will be initiating production of the Cybercab, as well as expanding on the Robotaxi program through the next 12 months:

“…as full-scale volume production begins with the autonomous and robotics roadmap…The company has started to test the all-important Cybercab in Austin over the past few weeks, which is an incremental step towards launching in 2026 with important volume production of Cybercabs starting in April/May, which remains the golden goose in unlocking TSLA’s AI valuation.”

Tesla analyst breaks down delivery report: ‘A step in the right direction’

Tesla has transitioned from an automaker to a full-fledged AI company, and its Robotaxi and Cybercab programs, fueled by the Full Self-Driving suite, are leading the charge moving forward. In 2026, there are major goals the company has outlined. The first is removing Safety Drivers from vehicles in Austin, Texas, one of the areas where it operates a ride-hailing service within the U.S.

Ultimately, Tesla will aim to launch a Level 5 autonomy suite to the public in the coming years.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk’s Biggest Revelations on AI, Robots, and the Future of Work from the Moonshots Podcast

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Elon Musk’s appearance on the Moonshots with Peter Diamandis podcast was packed with bold predictions, candid admissions, and surprising tech insights. The nearly three-hour conversation covered everything from artificial intelligence to humanoid robots, geopolitics, and the future of work. Here are the top 10 most intriguing takeaways:

  1. Aggressive AGI Timeline Predictions

    Musk offered a detailed view on when artificial general intelligence (AGI) could emerge, suggesting it may arrive sooner than many expect,  emphasizing both transformative potential and risks.  

  2. U.S. vs. China in the AI Race

    He discussed the strategic competition between the United States and China over AI development, noting that geopolitical dynamics will shape how and who leads in the next decades.  

  3. Future of Job Markets

    Musk touched on how AI and automation could reshape employment, predicting massive boosts in productivity alongside potential disruptions in traditional work structures.  

  4. Clean Energy Transition

    A recurring theme was the role of clean energy in future economies, with Musk reiterating the importance of scaling sustainable power generation and storage.  

  5. Humanoid Robots Are Coming

    On the podcast, Musk elaborated on Tesla’s work on humanoid robots, hinting at timelines and applications that go beyond factories to general-purpose assistance.

  6. Tesla Roadster “Last Human-Driven Car”

    Outside the core discussion topics, Musk teased features of the upcoming Tesla Roadster — calling it “the best of the last of the human-driven cars” and suggesting safety won’t be its main selling point.  

  7. The Role of AI in Clean Energy and Robotics

    Linking AI to both energy optimization and robotics, Musk explained how smarter systems could accelerate decarbonization and task automation across industries.  

  8. U.S. Innovation Leadership

    Musk argued that maintaining American leadership in key tech sectors like AI, space, and robotics should be a national priority, with thoughtful policy and investment.  

  9. Job Creation vs. Job Elimination

    While acknowledging automation’s disruptive effects, he also outlined scenarios where new industries and opportunities could emerge, particularly in AI, space, and advanced manufacturing.  

  10. Long-Term Vision for Humanity

    Throughout the conversation, Musk revisited his long-term philosophical views — including a belief in humanity’s responsibility to become a multi-planetary and technologically empowered species.  

Whether you agree with Musk’s optimism or not, the podcast offers a window into the thinking of one of the most influential figures in tech today, in and why his visions continue to spark debate and inspiration.

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