Latest news with #TeslaonX
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla causes stir after announcing major changes to the Cybertruck — here's what's happening
Tesla has officially launched the Cybertruck Long Range Rear Wheel Drive model. Although the vehicle comes with fewer features than the currently available model, it promises drivers an increase of up to 25 more miles per charge. As reported by Not a Tesla App, the Cybertruck LR RWD was unveiled on Tesla's Middle East website, along with the company's launch in Saudi Arabia. According to Tesla stats cited by the news site, the rear-wheel-drive version of the Long Range Cybertruck boasts a range of 350 miles and comes in at about 515 pounds lighter than the all-wheel-drive version. Tesla soon after announced that the model is available in U.S., per the news outlet, with a range of up to 362 miles on a single charge. However, this boost in range requires an optional soft tonneau cover that costs $750. While the Cybertruck LR RWD promises a longer range, it does sacrifice many features that some drivers might expect. The newly introduced model has ditched the air suspension, rear passenger display, and ventilated front seats. According to the announcement from Tesla on X, the Cybertruck model has a price tag of $62,490, following the use of the federal tax credit worth $7,500. Customers who order the truck can reportedly expect their vehicle to ship starting in June. While electric vehicles have yet to garner as much attention in the Middle East, Tesla may hope to bolster its car sales that have plummeted worldwide. The company has allegedly faced widespread scrutiny following Tesla CEO Elon Musk's venture into the political world. This has resulted in protests at Tesla dealerships in several countries. Through March, Tesla sales dropped by 13% around the globe compared to the first quarter last year, including a jaw-dropping 71% decrease in sales in Germany over January and February. The drop in sales comes after the company sold nearly 1.8 million vehicles in 2024. Although Tesla has seen a decline in sales, EVs in general have enjoyed an impressive rise in popularity. As noted by an International Energy Agency report, nearly one in five cars sold in 2023 was electric. With zero tailpipe pollution and typically lower maintenance costs, switching to an EV can help combat the effects of a chaotic climate and lower the global temperature while saving drivers money. If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Cost Battery range Power and speed The way it looks Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Euronews
14-02-2025
- Automotive
- Euronews
Are Tesla owners at risk of vandalism following Musk controversy?
A photo of a white Tesla parked in Vienna and defaced with a large, red swastika is doing the rounds on social media. It's been shared with captions suggesting that Tesla owners and their cars are likely to be targeted following the recent, highly controversial actions of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The image has also appeared on Reddit, where similar claims were made that the car in question has been "upgraded" to fit with Musk, hinting that the vandalism took place recently. Other social media users who own Teslas have shared the image and expressed their concern about what will happen if they drive their vehicle in Austria, blaming Musk for the supposed danger. The tech billionaire shocked the world when he made two gestures at US President Donald Trump's inauguration rally, which were likened to a Nazi salute. Musk greeted crowds twice by thumping his chest before extending his right arm forward with his palm facing down. Many criticised him for evoking the Nazi salute, while others claimed it didn't carry any political weight. Regardless, the fallout against Musk quickly spread on social media: for example, some of the posts sharing the photo of the defaced Tesla on X also contain the hashtag #SwastiCar, a trend that has been growing on social media in an effort to boycott Tesla. A reverse image search of the image though shows us that it doesn't have anything to do with the recent backlash against Musk. It was taken in November 2023 and published as part of a story about a series of vandalism attacks in Vienna, according to news reports at the time. The vandalism wasn't related to Elon Musk at all, and it appears the Tesla in the picture wasn't targeted for any particular reason. Fact-checkers from other outlets have also arrived at the same conclusion. Anti-Tesla sentiment grips Europe and beyond Nevertheless, it is true that Tesla stores and showrooms have been defaced following Musk's actions at Trump's inauguration. In recent weeks, reports have emerged of vandals spraying swastikas and anti-fascist slogans at a Tesla building in The Hague, while near Berlin, an image of Musk's gesture and the word "Heil" was projected onto the wall of a Tesla factory. There are also seemingly more reputable reports of Teslas belonging to individuals in the US being defaced, as well as threats to their owners. Some Teslas have indeed had swastikas and the word "Nazi" spraypainted on them, according to US news outlets, while others, particularly Tesla Cybertrucks, have been covered in "SwastiCar" stickers as part of the same campaign going around on social media. To try defend themselves, some Tesla owners have started attaching their own stickers to their vehicles with slogans claiming that they bought their car secondhand (and therefore did not "fund" Musk) or that they bought it before Musk's recent negative publicity. Aside from vandalism, Tesla has seen its sales slump across Europe following Musk's actions. Tesla car sales dropped by 59% year-on-year in Germany in January, according to the country's Federal Motor Transport Authority. It also saw sales dip in France and the UK by 63% and 12% respectively. Some have linked the company's losses to Musk's embrace of far-right political figures, his amplification of misinformation on social media, and his close alliance with Trump, who recently appointed him head of the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency. Musk routinely either regurgitates conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated claims online, or boosts controversial claims made by others by responding to them with single-word messages of agreement, which then get shared with his millions of followers.
