Tesla News: Roadster Video, Model 3 In Germany, Gigafactory 3 In China

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Tesla fans are getting a Christmas present this year — a package of good news that suggests 2019 will be the most exciting year yet for the company. A noted auto industry analyst predicts the Model 3 will be the best selling electric car in Germany next year. Reports from China suggest the company’s new Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai is already a year ahead of schedule. And a stunning new video shows just how exciting the Roadster 2.0 will be. Let’s start with the video. Roll tape!

Tesla Roadster 2.0 Video

The Yazuki is a “creative experimental community driven by research, technology, and design. We combine an end to end solution for the creation of new cinematography aesthetics.” Not sure what all that means, but the result is a video about the Tesla Roadster that limns the emotional impact of the design in light.

This is the car that will drive a stake through the heart of every gasoline-powered supercar on the planet. Ferrari? Lamborghini? McLaren? Porsche? Forget about them. None has a car that can outgun the Roadster, even though theirs cost 5 times as much — or more. The Roadster 2.0 will simply be the n’est plus ultra of sports cars. Period. Full stop.

Tesla Model 3 Will Dominate In Germany

Tesla has said it will begin shipping 3,000 Model 3 sedans to European markets beginning early next year. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, head of Germany’s Center of Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, predicts it will outsell all other electric cars in that country in 2019. According to a report in WirtschaftsWoche, he writes, “If it works with the production and an early sales start of Model 3 in Germany, Tesla could sell a total of up to 20,000 sales in this country in 2019.” (Text edited for clarity.)

Dudenhöffer says that, in the first three quarters of 2018, 7,030 Smart EVs, 6,420 Volkswagen EVs, and 5,150 EVs from Renault and BMW were registered in Germany. Tesla sold just 1,678 of its Model S and Model X vehicles during the same period.

But he expects the Model 3 will upset the established order in 2019, and for one important reason. In Germany, senior employees often get company cars as part of their compensation packages. The car may be free but the recipients pay a tax of 1% per month on its value. As of January 1, that tax will be reduced to just 0.5% a month for electric cars, a change that could save drivers who select an EV as much as €200 each month.

That’s a significant chunk of change. Not to put too fine a point on it, but few senior managers want to be see driving around in a Smart EV or an e-Golf. Dudenhöffer expects the Model 3 will be the electric car of choice once they become available in Germany, which could happen as soon as February 1.

Tesla Gigafactory 3 (GF3) — Here We Come, Shanghai!

The Chinese government has no problem with picking winners and losers in its economy, and it has clearly decided to back Tesla to the hilt when it comes to helping the company get its new factory in Shanghai up and running. According to Twitter user Vincent, the factory is already about a year ahead of schedule.

As Teslarati points out, having the backing of the Chinese government has done wonders for Tesla as it seeks to become a major manufacturer in that country. Tesla was the only bidder for the parcel of land where GF3 will be built, the permitting process went as smooth as goose grease, and local banks were practically falling all over themselves to grant the company low-interest loans to finance the factory. It helps to have friends in high places.

New regulations that kick in on January 1 require every carmaker in China to build a certain percentage of electric vehicles or buy credits from other companies. Tesla is poised to have lots of those credits to sell once production begins, which according to Vincent could be less than a year from now.


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Steve Hanley

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." You can follow him on Substack and LinkedIn but not on Fakebook or any social media platforms controlled by narcissistic yahoos.

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