By Chris Kirkham
(Reuters) – When Reuters reported in April that Tesla (TSLA) had scrapped plans for a long-promised, next-generation $25,000 electric vehicle, the automaker’s stock plunged. Chief Executive Elon Musk rushed to respond on X, his social-media network.
“Reuters is lying,” he posted, without elaborating. Tesla’s stock recovered some of its losses.
Six months later, Musk appears to have backed into an admission that Tesla dropped its plans for a human-driven $25,000 car. He said in an Oct. 23 earnings call that building the affordable EV would be “pointless” unless the car was fully autonomous.
His latest remarks came in response to an investor asking: “When can we expect Tesla to give us the $25,000 non-robotaxi regular car model?”
Musk responded: “We’re not making a non-robo…,” before he was interrupted by another Tesla executive. Musk later added: “Basically, I think having a regular $25K model is pointless. It would be silly.”
The April 5 Reuters article reported that Tesla had abandoned plans for an all-new, affordable mass-market EV but still planned a self-driving robotaxi. Since then, Musk has increasingly touted plans for robotaxis and autonomous vehicles.
Tesla and Musk did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
On the October earnings call, Musk said that Tesla does plan a “$25K car” – its “Cybercab,” a two-door, two-seat, fully autonomous vehicle. Musk unveiled a prototype at a Hollywood-style event on Oct. 10.
Musk says Tesla will start production of the Cybercab in 2026, after it deploys fully autonomous versions of its current Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Texas and California next year. The automaker faces steep technological, regulatory and legal challenges in delivering on Musk’s latest promises of fully autonomous vehicles, which echo others dating back about a decade.
An all-new affordable Tesla for human drivers had until recently been a linchpin of Tesla’s strategy to become the world’s biggest automaker. For several years, Tesla had a goal of producing 20 million vehicles a year by 2030, more than tenfold what it sells now and nearly double that of Toyota, the current global sales leader. In May, Tesla dropped the 20-million goal from its latest “impact report” on progress toward sustainability goals.
As recently as January of this year, Musk confirmed the plan for an all-new affordable EV in an earnings call. He said the next-generation vehicle would arrive in 2025 and launch a second major “growth wave,” following the first wave with the release of its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
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Jim’s, Mission diner, will keep cooking under nonprofit ownership
Fear not, we won’t be missing the beloved green salsa at Jim’s Restaurant for some time — breakfast is here to stay. Mission Local has learned that the Mission Language and Vocational School will take over neighborhood mainstay Jim’s, which invited customers in today for its last day in business under current ownership. This afternoon, a line was seen reaching the corner of the building at 20th and Mission streets, and the diner had to take a waitlist for people to get in. Mission Language and Vocational School, a nonprofit that offers workforce development and small business supportive services, will staff the restaurant with graduates from its catering program and culinary school. The nonprofit will keep on Beto, the longtime cook. The owners, husband and wife Kim Ok Un and Kim Jung Nyun, are retiring. MLVS is expected to take over the restaurant […]
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Hawk on the house
Hawk on the house Source: missionlocal.org
Burglars ransack Southern California homes while posing as deliverymen
Residents are frightened and angry as a group of suspects continue ransacking San Fernando Valley homes, leaving a trail of destruction behind.A Valley Village resident said she was stunned and shaken up after thieves targeted her home on Dec. 17 between 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.The break-in was captured on home surveillance cameras as a male suspect approached the house and appeared to be disguised as a delivery man.“Ten minutes after we left [our home], someone was knocking at the door and our dog was barking away,” she said. “Then within a minute, someone had broken into the back of the house, smashed the glass door, came in and locked the dog in a room and just trashed the house. They took all of my jewelry.”Photos of the aftermath showed drawers in every room were removed and emptied and all […]
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The mom-and-pop owners of Jim’s Restaurant on Mission Street, a community staple for over three decades, will have their last day of work this Saturday, according to the restaurant.Jim’s Restaurant announced that its owners will be retiring after Saturday. It’s unclear, however, whether Jim’s will continue operating under new management. What is clear is it will no longer be the same without Ms. and Mr. Kim. The current owners, Kim Ok Un and Kim Jung Nyun, declined to comment about their retirement or whether Jim’s would continue operating. An Instagram commenter says, “So so sooo happy for you guys!! So well deserved but Jim’s will never be the same without you”.Another says, “Legendary spot just up the street from KPOO. Thanks y’all for the decades of service to the community.”On Friday around noon, the restaurant at 2420 Mission St. between 20th and […]
Police bust man at Gwinnett McDonald’s they say tried to sell home he didn’t own
Gwinnett County police arrested a man at a local McDonald’s who they say attempted to sell a property he did not own by stealing the identity of its rightful owner.Police say 55-year-old Armond Long, of Lilburn, posed as the property owner and listed the land for sale on Zillow.The scheme unraveled when the actual owner discovered the listing while the sale was pending and contacted authorities.Records show the land was pending for $130,000 before law enforcement got involved.“He didn’t have any intention of selling that property, so he contacted local authorities,” said Cpl. Juan Madiedo.TRENDING STORIES: Authorities in Lake Havasu City, Arizona worked with Gwinnett County police to set up a sting operation.Long agreed to meet at a McDonald’s near the Mall of Georgia to sign final closing documents. An undercover Gwinnett officer, posing as a courier, handed Long documents […]
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Burglars ransack Southern California homes while posing as deliverymen
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Police bust man at Gwinnett McDonald’s they say tried to sell home he didn’t own
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