Cars

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.

Tesla sales have plummeted in several countries over the last month, dropping by 38 percent in Norway, 63 percent in France, and 75 percent in Spain. Only 1,277 new Teslas were registered in Germany in January, a 60 percent drop compared to the previous year.

Along with the event launch date, VW Group CEO Thomas Schäfer posted a new sketch on LinkedIn showing a cute high-roofline crossover that probably won’t come to the US. The EV was referred to as the “ID. Every 1,” but that’s only the show car name.

The two Japanese automakers said the deal had been terminated to prioritize “management measures in an increasingly volatile market environment heading into the era of electrification.”

Ars Technica reports that the agency has removed a 2022 dataset of car crash fatalities that had some unique statistics:

A new interface update adds search and quick navigation buttons to the main screen on the right side, so you don’t have to tap to make the top bar appear to start your next trip, 9to5Google and autoevolution report. The new shortcut button lets you tap to quickly begin navigating to home or work based on the time of day.

Tesla confirmed the launch of Full Self-Driving in Mexico, replying “¡Hola México!” to a Tesla Owners Mexico post that shows the software running in the country. Previously, FSD would downgrade to Autopilot for US Tesla owners who cross the border to Mexico. Mexico doesn’t have as stringent safety rules as the EU, which was expected to approve a version of FSD in early 2025. Musk later said that’s “proving challenging” during an earnings call.

The electric automaker posted a set of images on X, including one showing tire tracks on sandy grounds and another with desert land visible through an R1T gear tunnel. It could be a new Hard Sand drive mode to accompany the Soft Sand mode that’s been available since 2022. It could also be an additional trim for the R1T pickup.

Originally scheduled to go on sale in spring 2024, the SS version of Chevy’s Blazer EV is finally close to shipping amid rumors the gas-powered Blazer is going away. Orders are now open for the vehicle that promises 615hp in Wide Open Watts mode and a 3.4 second 0 - 60 time.

Autocar acquired photos of Jaguar’s upcoming Super-GT electric vehicle, which is based on the automaker’s “copy nothing” brand-rebooting Type OO concept that was revealed in December. The camouflaged model confirms it will lack a rear window, a la Polestar 4.