Tesla Cyber Roundup: Musk Stays, Advertising Begins, Next-Gen Car and Roadster Updates

May 17, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Tesla shows a glimpse of its next-gen vehicle

Tesla

It was a whirlwind of announcements at Tesla's Annual Shareholder Meeting held in Austin, Texas. The company announced significant updates about the company's future, including ambitious product plans, leadership changes, and bold strategies to address human rights issues in the supply chain. Musk's engagement with shareholders and his unexpected revelations left the audience more enthusiastic than ever about what lies ahead for the electric vehicle giant.

Musk to Continue as Tesla CEO

In his typically candid style, Elon Musk began the meeting by expressing his appreciation for the Tesla community, stating, "I just want to say I love you guys." This sentiment set the tone for the event, highlighting the close-knit relationship between Tesla and its shareholders.

Many investors breathed a sigh of relief as Musk announced he will not be stepping down as CEO of the company, squashing circulating rumors. Asserting the importance of Tesla's role in AI and AGI, Musk emphasized his necessity in overseeing the operations. Tesla co-founder JB Straubel was officially elected to the company's board of directors, alongside the re-election of Musk for another three-year term.

Tesla Dabbles in Traditional Advertising

In a surprising turn, Musk disclosed plans to venture into traditional media advertising — a departure from the company's typical non-traditional marketing approach. He acknowledged the importance of reaching potential customers outside of the company's devoted fan base. The crowd's overwhelming excitement caught Musk off guard, leading him to promise to evaluate the effectiveness of this new strategy.

Updates on Cybertruck and Tesla Roadster

In addition, Musk revealed that Tesla is targeting to deliver its first Cybertrucks within the year, with plans to deliver between 250,000 to 500,000 Cybertrucks annually. The return of the much-anticipated Roadster is slated for 2024. Musk gave insights into the challenges and breakthroughs in Cybertruck production, focusing particularly on the vehicle’s unique stainless-steel exoskeleton.

Despite rumors suggesting otherwise, Tesla successfully navigated the challenges, sticking to its original design intent and developing new manufacturing techniques for an exoskeleton-based vehicle. Further, the Cybertruck will be equipped with multiple attachment points to support third-party accessories.

Teaser of the Next-Gen Tesla Cars

In the meeting, Musk also teased two new electric vehicle models being designed by the company. One of these next-generation EVs appears to be a compact hatchback with a silhouette resembling the Model Y. No further details were given on the second vehicle. Still, Musk suggested that the combined production of both vehicles would exceed 5 million units per year.

Watch the Cyber Roundup Event

Watch Tesla's Cyber Roundup event in its entirety below. The Q&A session, one of the most interesting parts of the event, begins at the 1-hour 4-minute mark of the video below.

Update on the Next-Gen Tesla Roadster

Despite the excitement surrounding the next-generation Tesla Roadster, its production has been pushed back to 2024. While it will not be a significant contributor to revenue, Musk assured that its unique SpaceX thruster package will make it a "modest contributor to profitability."

Tesla Responds to Human Rights Concerns with Third-Party Audit

Tesla, facing increasing scrutiny over human rights abuses linked to its supply chains, has committed to a third-party audit. The concerns arise from the company's sourcing of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo, known for pervasive child labor, and potential ties to forced labor in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Amidst these allegations and ongoing lawsuits, Tesla's decision to hold a third-party audit marks a critical move toward addressing these issues.

Market Outlook Amid Economic Uncertainties

While Tesla has always been a forerunner in the electric vehicle market, Musk acknowledged that the company is not immune to the potential economic pressures that lie ahead. During the shareholder meeting, he cautioned about a potentially tough period for the economy and the consequent impact on consumer discretionary spending. Yet, he urged investors to remain resilient.

Musk offered some advice, saying, "Don't look at the markets for the next 12 months. If there's a dip, buy the dip." Despite acknowledging these challenges, he expressed confidence that Tesla will emerge stronger in the face of adversity, reinforcing the company's long-term investment appeal.

The Tesla annual shareholder meeting was packed with exciting revelations and announcements, from the CEO's continued leadership to the unveiling of future product plans. The surprises continued with the company's venture into traditional advertising and the commitment to cobalt auditing. As the meeting concluded, one thing was clear: Tesla continues to disrupt the industry with its forward-thinking strategies and unwavering dedication to innovation.

Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

June 14, 2025

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied.

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

FSD Supervised testing in Rome, Italy

Pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/TXh3uQIfrx
— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

June 13, 2025

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase

Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.

Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.

The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

Video must be 90 seconds or less
Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL
Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.
Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form
Provide your personal details in the form
You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.