Volkswagen has announced the launch of the new ID.6 all-electric SUV. The vehicle is a mainstay in the German automaker’s plan to infiltrate some of the Chinese electric vehicle market that has quickly established itself as one of the most competitive globally. Volkswagen’s ID.6 is catered specifically to the Chinese market, and the automaker has no plans to launch the vehicle in any other region, including the European market.
Volkswagen unveiled the ID.6 on April 17th at 8 AM EST. The new SUV from VW will only be available in one country: China, as its design, infrastructure, and technological developments are all catered to match the wants and needs of Chinese consumers. Volkswagen has plans for China to take its EV plan into the stratosphere in the coming years, eventually becoming the area where it will sell 50% of its EVs globally, hopefully by 2030.
“A desire for roomy interiors, safety and comfort, coupled with a high level of interest in technology and connectivity – China is a market like no other,” Volkswagen wrote in a press release that outlined the ID.6’s potential in China. The vehicle utilizes the MEB platform that will power each of the vehicles in the ID. family, including the already-released ID.3 and ID.4. However, the ID.6 offers drivers increased cargo and passenger capacity thanks to three rows of seats suitable for up to seven passengers. The design of the ID.6 “sets new standards in terms of space, functionality, design, and, in particular, user experience. The car is thus tailored specifically to the needs and wishes of Chinese customers.”
ID.6 Facts and Figures (Credit: Volkswagen)
Interestingly, Volkswagen’s press release included a paragraph regarding the potential of competitors in the region. While mentioning NIO and Xpeng, Volkswagen made no mention of Tesla or Wuling, two vehicle manufacturers that have long dominated China’s EV sales figures. Nevertheless, Volkswagen says it knows Chinese EV companies are developing highly competitive and disruptive cars, especially ones that fit the trend of New Energy Vehicles and Intelligent Connected Vehicles.
“As a result, one difference in our ID. models in China is that they will have a high level of computing power and a robust software platform in order to provide customers with the necessary digital and connectivity services,” Volkswagen wrote. The increased computing power will allow owners to check for updates on air quality or traffic violations, fitting the needs of consumers in the market, it says.
The ID.6 is just one of eight pieces of the puzzle Volkswagen needs to place in China. The company says it plans to launch a total of eight ID. vehicles by the end of 2023 in an effort to become the most popular new energy vehicle brand in the region. With a design specific for Chinese consumers, the ID.6 will be Volkswagen’s flagship SUV in the country, and car buyers will have choices.
ID.6 CROZZ by FAW and ID.6 X by SVW (Credit: Volkswagen)
The ID.6 will have two variants: SAIC Volkswagen ID.6 X and FAW-Volkswagen’s ID.6 CROZZ. Both cars will not be available in Europe, nor will they be available in Germany.
Volkswagen will look to make a statement with its rollout of all-electric cars in China. “China is one of the most important markets globally for Volkswagen, and will continue to play an essential role in the future success of our transformation to electrification and digitization. We see the ID.6 as the next building block for Volkswagen to also become the leading brand for sustainable mobility in China, as we are for ICE vehicles.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf0y4FZVmcs
Tesla has left a single loophole to purchase Full Self-Driving outright. On Sunday, the option officially disappeared from the Online Design Studio in the United States, as Tesla transitioned to a Subscription-only purchasing plan for the FSD suite.
However, there is still one way to get the Full Self-Driving suite in an outright manner, which would not require the vehicle owner to pay monthly for the driver assistance program — but you have to buy a Model S or Model X.
Months ago, Tesla launched a special “Luxe Package” for the Model S and Model X, which included Full Self-Driving for the life of the vehicle, as well as free Supercharging at over 75,000 locations, as well as free Premium Connectivity, and a Four-Year Premium Service package, which includes wheel and tire protection, windshiel protection, and recommended maintenance.
🚨 Tesla increased the price of both the Model S and Model X by $10,000, but both vehicles now include the “Luxe Package,” which includes:
-Full Self-Driving
-Four years of included maintenance, tire and wheel repairs, and windshield repairs/replacements
-Free lifetime… pic.twitter.com/LKv7rXruml— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) August 16, 2025
It would also be available through the purchase of a Cyberbeast, the top trim of the Cybertruck lineup.
This small loophole would allow owners to avoid the monthly payment, but there have been some changes in the fine print of the program, as Tesla has added that it will not be transferable to subsequent vehicle owners or to another vehicle.
This goes for the FSD and the Supercharging offers that come with the Luxe Package.
For now, Tesla still has the Full Self-Driving subscription priced at $99 per month. However, that price is expected to increase over the course of some time, especially as its capabilities improve. Tesla seems to be nearing Unsupervised FSD based on Musk’s estimates for the Cybercab program.
There is the potential that Tesla offers both Unsupervised and Supervised FSD for varying prices, but this is not confirmed.
In other countries, Tesla has pushed back the deadline to purchase the suite outright, as in Australia, it has been adjusted to March 31.
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Tesla Sweden’s port deal sparks political clash in Trelleborg
The extension of Tesla’s lease has drawn criticism from the local Social Democratic opposition.
Tesla Sweden’s lease agreement at the Port of Trelleborg has triggered a political dispute, with local leaders divided over whether the municipally owned port should continue renting space to the electric vehicle maker amidst its ongoing conflict with the IF Metall union.
Tesla Sweden’s recently extended contract with the Port of Trelleborg has triggered calls for greater political oversight of future agreements.
Tesla has used the Port of Trelleborg to import vehicles into Sweden amid a blockade by the Transport Workers’ Union, as noted in a report from Dagens Arbete (DA). By routing cars via trucks on passenger ferries, the company has maintained deliveries despite the labor dispute. Vehicles have also been stored and prepared in facilities leased from the municipal port company.
The extension of Tesla’s lease has drawn criticism from the local Social Democratic opposition. Initially, the Port of Trelleborg hinted that it would not enter into new agreements with Tesla, but it eventually opted to renew its existing contract with the EV maker anyway.
Lennart Höckert, an opposition councilor, described the port’s decision as a “betrayal of the Swedish model,” arguing that a municipally owned entity should not appear to side with one party in an active labor dispute.
“If you want to protect the Swedish model, you shouldn’t get involved in a conflict and help one of the parties. When you as a company do this, it means that you are actually taking a position and making things worse in an already ongoing conflict,” Höckert said.
He added that the party now wants politicians to review and approve future rental agreements involving municipal properties at the port.
The proposal has been sharply criticized by Mathias Andersson of the Sweden Democrats, who chairs the municipal board. In comments to local media, Andersson described the Social Democrats’ approach as “Kim Jong Un-style,” arguing that political leaders should not micromanage a company governed by its own board.
“I believe that the port should be run like any other business,” Andersson said. He also noted that operational decisions fall under the authority of the Port of Trelleborg’s board instead of elected officials.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X sees outage on Monday as users report issues
Monday’s outage follows a similar issue that befell the social media platform in mid-January.
X experienced an outage on Monday morning, with tens of thousands of users reporting that the platform failed to load across both desktop and mobile. The disruption began around 8:02 a.m. ET, as per Downdetector data, and quickly escalated in the U.S. and U.K.
Monday’s outage follows a similar issue that befell the social media platform in mid-January.
Shortly after 8 a.m. ET, Downdetector showed a sharp rise in incident reports. At one point, U.S. complaints exceeded 40,000, while U.K. reports climbed past 6,000. Earlier in the outage, filings had already crossed 11,000 in the U.S. and 3,300 in the U.K., as noted in a TechRadar report. X users in other locations, such as the Philippines and Costa Rica, also reported similar issues.
Users attempting to access X were met with a “something went wrong” message. Feeds did not refresh, posts failed to appear, and both the social media platform’s app and web versions appeared affected by the issue. The outage struck during peak weekday usage, amplifying its visibility across regions worldwide.
X has not issued an official explanation for the latest outage or confirmed what caused the service disruption. The scale of complaints drew comparisons to the platform’s major outage in November 2025, which resulted in users being met with “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages, as well as Cloudflare-related error notices.
The incident also comes just weeks after X experienced a similar downtime in mid-January. That outage seemed more notable, however, with more than 100,000 users reporting issues with the social media platform on Downdetector.
Tesla leaves a single loophole to purchase Full Self-Driving outright
Tesla Sweden’s port deal sparks political clash in Trelleborg
