Cars

That’s according to the Aeroht subsidiary of EV carmaker Xpeng, which is planning to start mass production of its “land aircraft carrier” next year, The Straits Times reports, hoping to succeed where other consumer flying car projects have failed.

Six people were arrested Saturday after “several hundred protestors” blocked entrances to a Manhattan Tesla showroom, The New York Times reports. “Tesla Takedown” protests aim to hurt Elon Musk by targeting Tesla, which has seen sales dropping globally since Musk started directing deep cuts in the federal government.

Volkswagen previewed its ultra-low cost €20,000 ID EVERY1 electric vehicle yesterday, but the press material didn’t mention that it’s the first EV to launch with technology developed by Rivian, thanks to their $5.8 billion joint venture.

US consumers hoping to avoid price increases associated with Trump’s tariffs can’t just “buy American,” not with supply chains spanning North America and the world. The New York Times explores the impact tariffs will have on US automakers who are particularly at risk given the number of cars assembled in Mexico and Canada — with US-made engines and transmissions — before being shipped back across the border for purchase.

Users on a Facebook group for Cybertruck owners are posting about public backlash being directed towards their vehicles, showing people flicking them off and lewd or abusive messages they’ve received.

Tesla is currently offering prospective Foundation Series Cybertrucks free Supercharging “during your ownership of the vehicle,” as spotted by automotive journalist Chad Kirchner. Tesla is showing banners advertising the promotion on the Cybertruck website.

Nine people were arrested over the weekend during a “raucous” demonstration outside a Tesla showroom in Manhattan this past weekend, Reuters reports. The protest, which drew hundreds of participants, was part of an escalating “Tesla Takedown” movement opposed to Elon Musk’s takeover of the federal government. The protesters want to hurt Musk by deterring sales of Tesla vehicles and tanking the company’s stock price. Huge crowds turned out for demonstrations in Florida and Arizona as well.

The company’s first premium EV-only just went on sale in China for CN¥529,900 (around $73,000). It can go from 0 to 100 km/h in less than two seconds. It boasts a carbon fiber-heavy design, a 24K gold “Mi” emblem on the front, and a full array of smart features when connected to a Xiaomi phone.

According to the New York Times, Republicans plan on using the Congressional Review Act “that permits lawmakers to reverse recently-adopted regulations with a simple majority vote.” Except California’s ban on gas-car sales isn’t a federal law, it’s a waiver under the Clean Air Act of 1970, and therefore isn’t subject to Congressional review. Yet another legally questionable move from an administration that’s openly hostile to the idea of slashing tailpipe emissions.

The company’s value dropped below $1 trillion for the first time since last November, causing anti-Elon Musk protesters to celebrate on Bluesky. But the losses don’t appear to have much to do with the demonstrations, which only started earlier this month.

After questions were raised earlier this month about the line item proposing $400 million for “Armored Tesla (Production Units),” the State Department said the solicitation stemmed from a Biden-admin request. However, an NPR reporter says a document shows the Biden administration had approved less than $500k to look into armoring electric vehicles, while experts said the new figure would just about account for replacing the department’s entire 3,000-vehicle fleet with Tesla trucks.

The company has been laboring for years to get the permissions in place to launch its Full Self-Driving system in its largest customer market, and now it seems like that work is finally about to pay off. Bloomberg reports that Tesla has a software update ready to push in a couple of days. It’s not clear whether FSD will be as expansive as it is in the US. But Tesla is facing some real competition in China, including from BYD’s recently announced God’s Eye driver assist feature.

The federal team in charge of overseeing the safety of autonomous vehicles was already pretty small: only about seven people total, according to the Washington Post. But now the Elon Musk-led cuts have eliminated three of the seven. That’s probably good for Tesla, which aims to launch a robotaxi service this summer.

After tracking down an unsuspecting Cybertruck stopped at a traffic light, the anonymous TikToker in a Jack Skeleton mask uses a projector mounted on their dash to display crude jokes about Musk on the truck’s lift gate. Messages include “The most recalled truck in 2024” and “Musk, this truck is really like you... tons of hype, underwhelming in bed.” There’s also plenty of Nazi imagery, after Musk’s infamous fascist salute at Trump’s inauguration. Sure, it requires more technical skills than spraying “Fuck Elon” on a bunch of Teslas. But @cybertruck_hunters certainly wins points for ingenuity.

Tesla leaker Chris Zheng claims the company will return the signal stalk to the Model 3, which went stalkless after its 2024 redesign. Tesla deleted the turn signal and drive stalks on its redesigned Model S and Model X vehicles as well, moving the controls to steering wheel buttons and the center touchscreen and relying on automation. But now it seems like the stalk is making a comeback. For example, the recent Model Y redesign included a simplified turn signal stalk.