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Tesla Motors 2015 Strategy to Fight Dealer Laws, Stay Aggressive


Would Tesla ever build cars in Michigan? Musk: “It’s not out of the question. Maybe Michigan shouldn’t stop us from selling cars here.” (Image: Courtesy of Associate Press)
I was following the Elon Musk press conference from the International Car show via the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday afternoon and a whole lot of topics were addressed, including the Model X, dealership strategy, China sales, the Gigafactory and GAAP financials, among others.
During the interview portion of the event, Musk had the whole room laughing when he said (paraphrasing) “if I keep talking, we’ll be out of business very soon,” referring to Tesla’s stock sell-off once he said China sales numbers for December were down.
Musk also stated that “Tesla can make a few million cars a year by 2025.” If that happens, one would presume Tesla will be selling in all 50 states by 2025.
Musk responded to a dealership question and made a point of stating, “we need to have our own stores first,” before selling via dealerships. Musk’s subtle insistence on having his own stores, at first, didn’t make impression but could signify its stance with state legislators going forward.
Today, Rep. Tony Guerrera, a Democratic co-chairman of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee of Connecticut, proposed a new bill to allow the Tesla Motors to sell directly to the consumer. A supporter of that bill, Republican Art Linares, says,” “I think that Tesla is an innovative business. They’re creating jobs across the country. It’s a great vehicle. Just by passing this bill, we can create jobs here in Connecticut.”
Elon Musk & Model X are at the Texas State Capitol in Austin today. Thanks to 100+ Tesla owners also in attendance. pic.twitter.com/eM5K3x1yZk
— Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) January 15, 2015
Chen also counters the dealer association's assertion of what if Tesla goes out of business? Where will the Tesla owners go for service? According to the article, "Chen called it almost laughable that dealers are pitching themselves as the consumer’s advocate, saying there’s no guarantee they will remain in business."
So am I reading into his statement about "more of our stores" in Detroit and a more aggressive company response in Connecticut? Not sure yet, but as 2015 progresses, senators and ambitious representative might see the light in making the right call or aligning themselves with their principles, instead of ancient dealer laws.
And, I'll leave you this from yesterday's conference:
Reporter: Would Tesla ever build cars in Michigan?
Musk: "It's not out of the question. Maybe Michigan shouldn't stop us from selling cars here."
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Elon Musk’s X experiences several outages on Monday
As of this writing, X’s desktop and mobile services are still intermittent.

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, experienced several outages on Monday morning.
As of this writing, X’s desktop and mobile services are still intermittent.
Initial Reports
As noted in a TechCrunch report, a wave of reports about X being offline were submitted on Downdetector, a website that tracks online outages, early Monday morning, around 5:30 a.m. ET.
At the time, about 20,000 users reported experiencing problems accessing the social media platform. This initial wave of outages seemed to have been resolved after about an hour, with users being able to access X’s services once more.
Outage Encore
Another wave of outages on X were reported by users around 9:30 a.m. ET, though this time, Downdetector listed about 40,000 user reports. This particular outage seemed worse than the first, as it was still ongoing until about lunchtime Eastern Time.
As of this writing, issues with X appear to still be ongoing, as per tests done by Teslarati staff. While some pages on the social media platform are now loading, some features such as users’ timeline and analytics remain inaccessible.
Update as of 12:17 p.m. ET: X’s mobile and desktop features appear to have gone back online.
X, for its part, has not issued a comment about the matter.
X’s Evolution
Previously known as Twitter, the social media platform was acquired by Elon Musk in late 2022 for $44 billion. Since then, Twitter has returned to becoming a private company, and it has been renamed X.
While reports following Musk’s acquisition noted that Twitter saw a sharp drop in valuation after the Tesla CEO’s acquisition, Bloomberg News, citing people reportedly familiar with the matter, claimed last month that X was in talks to raise funds from investors at a $44 billion valuation, thanks in no small part to its stake in xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence startup.
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Hyundai exec receives medal from Czech Republic for fostering bilateral relations
Hyundai’s Nosovice plant has been key to Czech-South Korea ties since 2008. Should more automakers focus on diplomacy?

Hyundai Motor Group’s Executive Chair Chung Euisun received a medal from the Czech Republic (aka Czechia) for fostering bilateral relations between South Korea and the European nation.
The Czech Republic’s ambassador to South Korea, Ivan Jancarek, presented the medal to Chair Chung Euisun at Hyundai Motor Group’s automotive headquarters in Seoul. Jancarek gave the medal to the Executive Chair of Hyundai on behalf of the Czech Republic’s Foreign Minister, Jan Lipavsky.
Chair Chung fostered bilateral relations between South Korea and the Czech Republic through Hyundai Motor Group’s manufacturing plant in Nosovice. Hyundai’s Nosovice plant has been operating since 2008 and is the automaker’s production hub in Europe. The factory produces popular Hyundai models for the European market, like the Tucson and the Kona Electric.
Besides its plant in the Czech Republic, Hyundai has invested heavily in local operations, which has supported employment within the factory and in the city of Nosovice. The legacy car maker’s investments have also enabled South Korea and the Czech Republic to exchange technology.
In early 2025, Hyundai Motor Group is keenly focused on expanding into Europe. Earlier this month, the South Korean automaker announced plans to establish a plant in Türkiye. Its Izmit plant in Türkiye will boost Hyundai’s production capacity to meet the demand for greener automobiles in the European market. The new plant will manufacture electric vehicles and internal combustion engine models.
Hyundai isn’t only focusing on the European market. Last year, it invested in several Asian countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia. It also held an IPO in India.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the company plans to enter the self-driving rideshare industry in Texas, going head-to-head against Tesla’s robotaxi fleet. In 2024, it started production at its Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) plant in Georgia.
News
Tesla Cybertruck used in Trump hotel bombing seemingly listed on auction site
A rather interesting piece of Tesla history appears to have found its way to an auto auction platform.

The ill-fated Tesla Cybertruck used in the Trump Las Vegas hotel car bombing incident in January has seemingly been listed on an online vehicle auction website.
The historic Cybertruck was spotted on the IAA website by Tesla enthusiasts on social media platform X.
A Cybertruck Car Bomb
Back in January, a shocking incident unfolded as a rented Cybertruck was reported to have exploded outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel. Following the explosion, authorities noted that they were investigating the incident as a potential act of terrorism.
While Tesla critics immediately blamed the Cybertruck and mocked the vehicle for its alleged critical safety flaws, investigations revealed that the all-electric pickup truck had been loaded with incendiary materials on its bed, which were then detonated. Tragically, the driver of the Cybertruck passed away in the incident. Seven bystanders also suffered minor injuries.
Elon Musk Weighs In
As it turned out, the Cybertruck actually ended up protecting the Trump hotel and nearby civilians. As could be seen in videos of the incident, the Cybertruck mostly contained the explosion by directing the blast upwards. The bed remained largely intact even after the explosion as well.
Elon Musk later noted that the ill-fated Cybertruck’s battery pack never actually caught fire during the explosion, so once the unit is back at Tesla, the company will be repairing the vehicle to get it back on the road. Musk’s comments caught the attention of many, as such a repair would likely be monumental, and if successful, a true testament to the Cybertruck’s durability.
Cybertruck at Auction
As could be seen on the IAA’s official website, the ill-fated Cybertruck has seemingly been listed on its vehicle auction platform, suggesting that Tesla did not retrieve the truck following its explosive incident. Interestingly enough, the listing does state that the vehicle is “not ready for sale” as of yet. A look at the historic Cybertruck’s “Bid Information” section on the IAA’s website shows that an auction is not assigned as well.
It remains to be seen why the Cybertruck used in the Las Vegas Trump hotel car bombing incident has seemingly ended up on the IAA’s website. Hopefully, Tesla will still acquire the vehicle, at least just as a monument to the toughness of the Cybertruck—even in explosive scenarios.
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