Tesla is on the brink of a significant milestone, with its Cybertruck delivery event set for November 30. This event is drawing parallels to a pivotal moment in car design history, specifically to the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro, an 85-year-old Italian legend in the automotive world. Giugiaro's influential designs include the Lotus Esprit, BMW M1, and the iconic DeLorean DMC-12, made famous by Back to the Future.
Giugiaro's Insights on Tesla's Design Choices
Giugiaro shared his perspective on Tesla's bold design choices in an email exchange with NPR. "When you step outside the norms, it's almost always seen as a provocation. It happens in all fields, from furniture to cooking, etc. Everyone wants to distinguish themselves; it's a market necessity," Giugiaro stated. His insight underscores the importance of innovation in a competitive market, a philosophy that Tesla seems to have embraced with the Cybertruck. Giugiaro further added, "The Cybertruck will surely be successful; I'm sure of it. I'm convinced it will find its admirers."
The Cybertruck's journey echoes the DeLorean's experience from the 1980s. Both vehicles faced skepticism and criticism for their unconventional designs, particularly for their angular shapes and the propensity of their stainless steel bodies to showcase smudges and fingerprints. Despite these criticisms, the DeLorean DMC-12 carved a unique niche, symbolizing automotive innovation and pop culture fame.
The 'Origami' Influence and Cybertruck's Design
Giugiaro's design philosophy, which he refers to as "origami," has significantly influenced the Cybertruck (Cybertruck dimensions). This style, characterized by sharp, straight lines and wedge shapes, was a radical departure from traditional automotive design when it first appeared in the 1970s.
This approach, reminiscent of modern architectural elements, was pioneered by Giugiaro in the 1970s and became a hallmark of his design aesthetic. The Maserati Boomerang concept car and the Volkswagen Golf Mk1 are prime examples of this style, reflecting the influence of Japanese origami in automotive design." The Cybertruck's design, with its sharp angles and distinct silhouette, echoes this philosophy.
Parallels Between Cybertruck and DeLorean
The Cybertruck, much like the DeLorean, has faced its share of critiques. Issues like misaligned stainless steel panels and questionable interior choices have been reported, mirroring the challenges the DMC-12 encountered decades ago. The DeLorean was criticized for its stainless steel body that showed every fingerprint and required constant cleaning, as well as for the quality of its construction, with reports of doors that didn't fit properly and interior components that frequently fell off.
Despite these challenges, the DeLorean DMC-12 achieved iconic status, partly due to its feature in "Back to the Future," the public's fascination with John DeLorean's personal story, and Giugiaro's reputation as one of the most influential car designers of the 20th century. This history serves as a reminder that initial public reception doesn't always indicate a design's ultimate place in history.
Giugiaro's perspective on the Cybertruck is neutral yet optimistic. "I don't want to judge the Cybertruck as beautiful or ugly. It certainly has its admirers who want a vehicle to stand out." This sentiment echoes the broader theme in automotive design and innovation: groundbreaking designs often face initial skepticism but can ultimately redefine the aesthetic norms of their era.
As part of Tesla’s App Update 4.42.5, which is now available on both the Android and iOS App Stores, Tesla has rolled out an improved AI Assistant.
If you’re not familiar with Tesla Assist, it’s the company’s AI-powered assistant, which can be found in the Service section of the Tesla app. The assistant was first introduced with app update 4.35.5, and it has slowly improved to help answer the most common Tesla-related questions.
At first, Tesla Assist could answer general support questions like “What is Sentry Mode?” or “Why is my range lower than expected?” It acted as a helpful starting point for answering questions, but the responses weren’t personalized for you or your vehicle. However, with this latest update, that is changing.
Personalized Support
The latest version of Tesla Assist introduces personalized responses. You can specify which vehicle or product your question relates to and ask specific questions about your vehicle. For now, the responses are limited to a few categories, like tire pressure, however, we expect the assistant to have access to more vehicle information in the future.
For now, you can ask questions such as, “What alerts were recently triggered on my vehicle?” or “Is my tire pressure low?”. We’ve also been successful in asking whether a particular accessory, such as a key fob, would work with our vehicle.
Tesla provides these answers based on information in their owner’s manuals, tutorials, and your vehicle’s details and data.
Just like before, Tesla continues to provide links to related articles, such as the Owner’s Manual or the Service Manual, depending on the context.
Not a Tesla App
Future Releases
While the assistant can’t access every detail just yet — how many miles are on my vehicle — it’s already capable of pulling a lot of service-related information. It appears Tesla may be looking to expand this to other areas, with some responses stating, “Based on your vehicle’s data…”
It’s not clear what’s powering this assistant, but it could be some version of Grok, which will soon be available inside of Tesla vehicles.
The AI-based assistant can be found in the Service section of the Tesla app or by going into the main menu and tapping the question mark in the upper-right corner. Let us know if you’ve seen any other interesting responses from Tesla Assist.
Tesla has revealed the location of its third Megafactory, following Mega Lathrop and Mega Shanghai. The new facility will be in Brookshire, Texas, covering 1.6 million square feet—twice the combined size of Mega Lathrop and Mega Shanghai.
Tesla has had a lease deal at the Empire West industrial park since at least late 2021, where a third-party company has been managing the shipment of vehicle parts from Giga Texas and Fremont factories service centers across North America.
Mega… Factory?
The name says it all. Tesla’s Gigafactories focus on vehicle production—like Giga Texas, Giga Berlin, and Giga Shanghai—while Megafactories are dedicated to Tesla’s energy products.
Tesla Energy is expanding rapidly, with executives suggesting it could soon become one of the company’s largest revenue streams as demand continues to outpace supply.
Mega Brookshire will manufacture Megapacks and Powerwalls, Tesla’s primary stationary energy products. Both use LFP batteries, meaning their production won’t impact Tesla’s vehicle output, as most of the company’s cars rely on NMC batteries.
Looking at the Numbers
Tesla plans to invest approximately $194 million in upgrades and equipment across the two buildings, with the facility projected to generate between $8 billion and $10 billion in annual revenue.
Of that investment, $44 million will go toward facility improvements, such as parking, electrical upgrades, accessibility, and structural updates. The remaining $150 million will be allocated to Tesla-sourced manufacturing equipment for product production.
Tesla will also be employing approximately 1,500 people in the local community, which will be a considerable economic boost for the local residents.
Mega Brookshire Phase 2
The Megafactory plans also include funding for a distribution facility, with Tesla set to invest $31 million in its purchase and an additional $2 million for equipment and facility upgrades. Given its proximity to Giga Texas, it’s likely that Mega Brookshire’s distribution terminal will support the Tesla Semi.
This marks Tesla’s first factory announcement since Mega Shanghai. While there were initial plans for Giga Mexico, where Tesla initially planned to build their next-gen vehicle, those plans have seemingly been shelved as Giga Texas and Fremont continue to expand.
Although an official timeline for Mega Brookshire’s launch hasn’t been shared, Mega Shanghai is set to begin production soon after breaking ground in May 2024. Based on that timeline, Mega Brookshire could be operational by mid-to-late 2026.
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