Tesla Luxury Cars

The Cybertruck has been reimagined as a heavy-armored truck, combat truck, a vehicle fit to be driven on Mars and whatnot. But how would it serve as a pizza delivery vehicle or a taxi? It seems a little contrasting with its demeanor, but U.K.-based LeaseFetcher has imagined it in various avatars.

An article on Business Insider has hit the surface suggesting that when Tesla rolled out the Model S from its Fremont factory back in 2012, it knew about a potential design flaw that could lead to battery packs catching fire.

The author hasn’t provided evidence for the same, but if true, this is a serious issue that could bring Tesla under scrutiny and hurt its credibility to a large extent.

Have you ever wanted to give your Tesla extra power but have had to wait for the automaker to roll out updates? Or, didn’t feel like paying the extra moolah they charge to unlock the added performance? Well, this will intrigue you then. If you watch the YouTube videos posted by Rich from Rich Rebuilds, you may even know his garage-partners, Electrified Garage. These guys have teamed up with a company called Ingenext from Quebec, Canada, and have managed to hack into Tesla’s systems. The company has cracked the code to happiness, and that happiness will cost you half the price of what Tesla charges for a Performance upgrade. Sweet deal, right?

Back in January, the Cybertruck was spotted with two big names from the automotive industry seated in it. Tesla CEO Elon Musk was riding shotgun in the Cybertruck that was driven by Jay Leno. The drive was for a segment of Jay Leno’s Garage’s latest season, which premiered on May 20, 2020. A short video showing them cruising in the Cybertruck was uploaded on Instagram back then, but now we have a trailer that shows us what to expect from this episode.

Tesla updated its Launch Mode recently and even introduced the ‘Cheetah Stance’ on the Model S and the Model X. The company sent out over-the-air updates for the same, but before it could be tested widely in the real world, the pandemic brought everything to a halt.

Now that things are slowly opening up, we have the first result in. A Model S Performance set a new quarter-mile record thanks to this update. The car in question completed the sprint in 10.45 seconds. How cool is that?

Even though the Berlin factory is still not ready, Tesla is ready to throw in more funds to build a new factory in the States. According to Electrek, Musk has chosen Austin, Texas as the location for Tesla’s next factory.

Elon Musk surprised many people by announcing a profitable first quarter amid the pandemic. During this call, he also claimed that the Tesla Model S has achieved an official 400-mile range as per EPA ratings, but it wasn’t made official due to a fault during testing. Currently, the Model S Long Range Plus is rated at 391 miles, but Musk says as soon testing opens, the Model S will be tested again and it will achieve a rating of over 400 miles.

Tesla Model S was fast, and now it’s gotten even faster. The company has quietly updated the Raven-equipped Model S Performance’s 0-60 mph figures on its website from 2.5 seconds to 2.3 seconds.

The automaker makes changes official on its website only once they have updated the product. Electrek reports that Tesla sent out an e-mail to Model S Performance owners intimating them about this update. This means the cars that will be sold from now on – and perhaps even examples from the previous months – will boast faster acceleration.

Tesla is about to take the pickup world by storm with an all-electric truck that will most likely be revealed this year. The vehicle that’s set to be shown this year won’t be the final production-spec model, though, as we’ve come to expect from Tesla, but it will be a very close preview of that model.

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the Tesla pickup truck, now called the Cybertruck. In the past couple of days, the biggest news is that it will be revealed on November 21 near the SpaceX rocket factory in Los Angeles at a standalone event. The reveal date coincides with the Los Angeles Auto Show, but we all know how Musk operates. Does he give a damn about it? Of course not!

On the other side of the spectrum, there was some incorrect reporting that Elon Musk was pitching the "Cybertruck" as a military vehicle. He has since said that was far from the case, and we’ve got the scoop on that below too.

Tesla has no plans to refresh the Model S and Model X, echoing CEO Elon Musk’s position regarding the issue. Instead, a series of “minor ongoing changes” are expected to come for both models. This might be disappointing news to owners of either the Model S or Model X, but this isn’t anything new for the automaker, which has stood by its CEO’s stance that “Tesla doesn’t do refreshes,” or at the very least not in the traditional sense that most automakers do. It’s a unique position Tesla has taken, particularly now for both Model S and Model X models that have suffered in the sales department as more customers turn their collective attention towards the far more affordable Model 3. Is it a mistake on Tesla’s part, or is all of this a matter of semantics since most of the updates that both the Model S and Model X can be considered “refreshes” in their own right?

Elon Musk has let out a few details regarding the Model Y at Tesla’s third-quarter earnings call earlier this week. According to The Drive, Musk recently approved the production of a prototype of the Model Y, and that the company is targeting volume production in 2020. There’s no word on an official debut, however, previous tweets indicate "late this year to mid next year."

The first time I ever saw the Tesla Model S was sometime in 2012 or 2013 at one of the car shows in Europe. I will guess that it was in Geneva. I left the Tesla stand a bit underwhelmed by its interior, but the performance, the size, and the sheer fact that someone is buying an electric car like that was more than enough to show me its importance. After that, I drove it only once. And not for a long time at that.

Now, finally, I got my third chance with the Tesla Model S at the Continental AG organized event called the #blackchili. In Nice. Yup, the South of France. I know, I am a lucky guy.

This time I had the Tesla Model S for 40 or so miles. Not the P100D, but the one with 373 horsepower. More than enough, believe me. Considering I drove the car for less than 50 miles, it may seem like I don’t have anything to write home about. How can I call this a short test drive then!? Well, I can because I will tell you about the Tesla Model S from the perspective of a guy who drove European cars all his life, and who never really had an EV stint like this.

In a surprising turn of events that not a lot of people saw coming this quickly, the Tesla Model S has shaken up the establishment after outselling some of its German rivals in Europe in 2017. The sudden twist comes as a surprise to a lot of people, even to those who have been bullish on the Model S’ ability to compete against models like the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class, and Audi A8. It’s one thing to outsell these luxury sedans in the U.S. because that’s already happening. But over in Europe, where these German titans are supposed to hold court? Big difference.

The Tesla Model 3 might be sealing headlines these days, but the Model S sedan and Model X SUV are still as popular as ever. That seems to be causing issues with Tesla’s order books and production process.

Tesla announced this week that both The Model S and X are backlogged and new orders will take between four and five months to fulfill. That’s a huge increase over the standard one-month wait time Tesla customers have recently grown accustomed to.

These wait time are apparently only for U.S. customers, however. Tesla’s California assembly plant is responsible for producing the world’s supply of Model S, X, and 3s. One theory proposed by electrek.com suggests Tesla is taking this time fulfill a backlog of orders from its global markets.

On the flip side, Tesla says current Tesla owners inside the U.S. can expect to receive their pre-ordered Model 3 within three weeks, skipping the long line of Model 3 pre-orders from would-be first-time Tesla owners.

However, things get worse when considering the U.S. government’s sun-setting of the $7,500 tax credit on EV vehicles slated for the next few months. That translates into the loss of Uncle Sam’s $7,500 tax rebate credit and a $7,500 more expensive EV.

While that might not be a big deal to those shelling out $100,000 for a loaded Model S or X, $7,500 is a decent percentage of the Model 3’s $35,000 starting price.

Don’t look now, but Ares Design might remain relevant in the ever-changing news cycle in the coming months. The Italian coachbuilder made headlines last week when it announced plans to develop a modern-day version of the Ferrari 412. Now it’s back in our feed with what looks to be another project in the fold, this time for the Tesla Model S. If you’ve been pining to see a convertible version of the Model S, you can stop begging Tesla to do one. Ares will do it for you.

Normally, if you wanna drive around in a new Tesla for a little while, you gotta have a trusting friend with one already parked in his or her driveway. Now, one rental company in Minnesota is offering folks a shot at experiencing a Tesla first-hand by renting them out during Super Bowl week.

Continue reading for the full story.

An all-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3 has been in the cards for some time. We all know it’s coming; we just don’t know when it’s coming. Turns out, it could arrive sooner than we thought because Tesla appears to be rolling out the dual-motor all-wheel drive Model 3 as early as the Spring of 2018. Unless your calendars are acting up, the dual-motor Model 3 could arrive as early as March 2018 or as late as June 2018.

One unlucky driver down in Southern California found the limits of their Tesla’s Autopilot system this week when it rear-ended a stationary fire truck on the freeway. The incident was documented on social media in a post by the Culver City Firefighter’s Twitter account: “While working a freeway accident this morning, Engine 42 was struck by a Tesla traveling at 65 mph. The driver reports the vehicle was on autopilot,” the post reads. “Amazingly, there were no injuries! Please stay alert while driving!”

Lucky indeed. The fire truck’s rear end is a bit out of shape, but nothing major by the look of it – just a few broken taillights and a slight bend to the rear platform. The Tesla, however, looks like it’s toast, with the entire front end bunched up in a twist of metal and broken parts. We’re also a little incredulous about the whole “65 mph” claim, as something tells us the automatic braking brought the speed down substantially. Either way, kudos to Tesla for making such a safe car. Without that huge crumple zone up front, who knows what would have happened to the driver.

This is just the latest in a series of auto accidents involving the Tesla Autopilot system. We don’t know for sure if the driver is outright blaming the technology for the crash, but either way, it certainly seems like an easy way to absolve yourself of responsibility.

Of course, Tesla is quick to point out that running Autopilot doesn’t mean relinquishing control of the car. Although it does have the potential to one day reach full autonomy status, Autopilot is basically just glorified cruise control at this point. Drivers must still remain in control of their vehicle at all times. That said, the convenience and power of Autopilot seems to be leading to distracted driving and misconceptions about the system’s intended use.