

News
Anti-Tesla strategy bites VW’s China division as local customers lament laggy ID.4 software
It is normal for automakers to throw shade over their competition every so often. Elon Musk does this himself, poking fun at the Audi e-tron’s name or the fact that competitors’ specs are still comparable to Tesla’s original Model S. Volkswagen’s China division has done the same thing, with the local branch of the German automaker targeting Tesla during the debut and delivery event of the ID.4 in the country.
VW China did not waste any time throwing some good old-fashioned shade towards Tesla, highlighting several points of criticism against the company in the ID. 4’s local debut. Volkswagen China mentioned Tesla’s inconsistent pricing, the Model 3 and Model Y’s lack of a front instrument cluster, uncomfortable seats, and unfriendly UI (among many) while promoting the ID.4.
Volkswagen followed this up with an aggressive push of the ID.4 in the local market, with some social media users posting images of Volkswagen booths being placed strategically in front of Tesla’s local stores. It’s a bold move and one which suggests that the German automaker is serious about its EV push in China. These efforts paid off to some degree, with VW China selling 1,267 ID.4 Crozz SUVs between January and May.
Being a veteran of the electric vehicle market, Tesla is familiar with how vocal electric car owners could be when it comes to issues about their EVs. This is something that is currently being experienced by Volkswagen’s China division, as a growing number of ID.4 owners are starting to share their experiences about the all-electric crossover’s software issues in social media.
One owner, who complained that he could not even turn on his ID. 4’s air conditioning feature because of its laggy software, ended up physically hitting the vehicle’s infotainment display out of frustration. The ID.4 owner shared a clip that was over 20 seconds long, and over the entire time, the vehicle’s software was just loading. Considering how dependent the vehicle’s features are on its infotainment system, the VW owner’s frustration was quite understandable.
This is not to say that Tesla’s software is perfect, of course. Several Tesla owners have mentioned that their vehicles’ PIN to Drive function usually results in a slow user experience, which is pretty annoying on its own. Teslas with older hardware also tend to have slower infotainment systems as the vehicle ages. This point makes the frustration of China’s ID.4 owners even more notable, however. After all, if a brand new vehicle already features laggy software, it would be hard to imagine just how slow the system would be a few years down the road.
It should be noted that Tesla and Volkswagen’s leadership have a pretty good relationship, with CEO Elon Musk and VW boss Herbert Diess having engaged in numerous friendly interactions in the past. Both executives have also defended the other against media criticism. Musk and Diess even took a short test drive of the Volkswagen ID.3, which involved the Tesla CEO flooring the vehicle in an attempt to get it to move faster while the VW boss explained that the all-electric hatchback was not a high-performance car.
Don’t hesitate to contact us for news tips. Just send a message to tips@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Elon Musk
Tesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly overseeing sales in North America and Europe, Bloomberg reports.

Tesla scrambled its executives around following the exit of CEO Elon Musk’s sidekick last week, Omead Afshar. Afshar was relieved of his duties as Head of Sales for both North America and Europe.
Bloomberg is reporting that Musk is now overseeing both regions for sales, according to sources familiar with the matter. Afshar left the company last week, likely due to slow sales in both markets, ending a seven-year term with the electric automaker.
Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports
Afshar was promoted to the role late last year as Musk was becoming more involved in the road to the White House with President Donald Trump.
Afshar, whose LinkedIn account stated he was working within the “Office of the CEO,” was known as Musk’s right-hand man for years.
Additionally, Tom Zhu, currently the Senior Vice President of Automotive at Tesla, will oversee sales in Asia, according to the report.
It is a scramble by Tesla to get the company’s proven executives over the pain points the automaker has found halfway through the year. Sales are looking to be close to the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered in both of the past two years.
Tesla is pivoting to pay more attention to the struggling automotive sales that it has felt over the past six months. Although it is still performing well and is the best-selling EV maker by a long way, it is struggling to find growth despite redesigning its vehicles and launching new tech and improvements within them.
The company is also looking to focus more on its deployment of autonomous tech, especially as it recently launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin just over a week ago.
However, while this is the long-term catalyst for Tesla, sales still need some work, and it appears the company’s strategy is to put its biggest guns on its biggest problems.
News
Tesla upgrades Model 3 and Model Y in China, hikes price for long-range sedan
Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles).

Tesla has rolled out a series of quiet upgrades to its Model 3 and Model Y in China, enhancing range and performance for long-range variants. The updates come with a price hike for the Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive, which now costs RMB 285,500 (about $39,300), up RMB 10,000 ($1,400) from the previous price.
Model 3 gets acceleration boost, extended range
Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles), up from 713 km (443 miles), and a faster 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, down from 4.4 seconds. These changes suggest that Tesla has bundled the previously optional Acceleration Boost for the Model 3, once priced at RMB 14,100 ($1,968), as a standard feature.
Delivery wait times for the long-range Model 3 have also been shortened, from 3–5 weeks to just 1–3 weeks, as per CNEV Post. No changes were made to the entry-level RWD or Performance versions, which retain their RMB 235,500 and RMB 339,500 price points, respectively. Wait times for those trims also remain at 1–3 weeks and 8–10 weeks.
Model Y range increases, pricing holds steady
The Model Y Long Range has also seen its CLTC-rated range increase from 719 km (447 miles) to 750 km (466 miles), though its price remains unchanged at RMB 313,500 ($43,759). The model maintains a 0–100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds.
Tesla also updated delivery times for the Model Y lineup. The Long Range variant now shows a wait time of 1–3 weeks, an improvement from the previous 3–5 weeks. The entry-level RWD version maintained its starting price of RMB 263,500, though its delivery window is now shorter at 2–4 weeks.
Tesla continues to offer several purchase incentives in China, including an RMB 8,000 discount for select paint options, an RMB 8,000 insurance subsidy, and five years of interest-free financing for eligible variants.
News
Tesla China registrations hit 20.7k in final week of June, highest in Q2
The final week of June stands as the second-highest of 2025 and the best-performing week of the quarter.

Tesla China recorded 20,680 domestic insurance registrations during the week of June 23–29, marking its highest weekly total in the second quarter of 2025.
The figure represents a 49.3% increase from the previous week and a 46.7% improvement year-over-year, suggesting growing domestic momentum for the electric vehicle maker in Q2’s final weeks.
Q2 closes with a boost despite year-on-year dip
The strong week helped lift Tesla’s performance for the quarter, though Q2 totals remain down 4.6% quarter-over-quarter and 10.9% year-over-year, according to industry watchers. Despite these declines, the last week of June stands as the second-highest of 2025 and the best-performing week of the quarter.
As per industry watchers, Tesla China delivered 15,210 New Model Y units last week, the highest weekly tally since the vehicle’s launch. The Model 3 followed with 5,470 deliveries during the same period. Tesla’s full June and Q2 sales data for China are expected to be released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) in the coming days.
Tesla China and minor Model 3 and Model Y updates
Tesla manufactures the Model 3 and Model Y at its Shanghai facility, which provides vehicles to both domestic and international markets. In May, the automaker reported 38,588 retail sales in China, down 30.1% year-over-year but up 34.3% from April. Exports from Shanghai totaled 23,074 units in May, a 32.9% improvement from the previous year but down 22.4% month-over-month, as noted in a CNEV Post report.
Earlier this week, Tesla introduced minor updates to the long-range versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in China. The refreshed Model 3 saw a modest price increase, while pricing for the updated Model Y Long Range variant remained unchanged. These adjustments come as Tesla continues refining its China lineup amid shifting local demand and increased competition from domestic brands.
-
Elon Musk22 hours ago
Tesla investors will be shocked by Jim Cramer’s latest assessment
-
News6 days ago
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest challenge seems to be this one thing
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla’s Grok integration will be more realistic with this cool feature
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Elon Musk slams Bloomberg’s shocking xAI cash burn claims
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla China roars back with highest vehicle registrations this Q2 so far
-
News2 weeks ago
Texas lawmakers urge Tesla to delay Austin robotaxi launch to September
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla dominates Cars.com’s Made in America Index with clean sweep
-
Elon Musk1 week ago
First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more