When Reuters reported in April that Tesla 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.

    • @FireRetardant
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      332 hours ago

      Until we tax them ridiculously (50-100%) to keep things “fair” for the american auto makers that refuse to build anything smaller than a chevorlet suburban.

      • @[email protected]
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        143 minutes ago

        Along with European, Japanese, and South Korean automakers. Nobody is building EVs this cheap because no other country’s government is dumping hundreds of billions of dollars into selling them well below their actual cost.

        • Traister101
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          633 minutes ago

          Aww that’s so sad. It’s a shame nobody has the economic wealth and power to absolutely dominate the market if they put a equal amount of money into EVs. I guess we’ll just have to keep spending our money on the military

        • @FireRetardant
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          338 minutes ago

          Those automakers are at least trying to compete by building small cars. I see more ads for electric f150s than i see for compact cars in north america.

        • @Grimy
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          5 minutes ago

          Every country subsidized their auto industry, it’s just that all the benefit goes directly to ceos except in china apparently.

          Ford received 9 billion in June.

    • @SendMePhotos
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      253 hours ago

      I so badly just want a tiny electric vehicle. I don’t travel much. Just need it to go around town and maybe a town over.

      • @ChowJeeBai
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        83 hours ago

        Do you need windows? Renault has a couple of small ones, the Twizy and Zoe, in order of size. Dunno if they’re still available. Else in my country they have the BYD dolphin and Smart One Plus.

        • @givesomefucks
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          213 hours ago

          Americans aren’t allowed to buy BYD personal vehicles…

            • @Warl0k3
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              2 hours ago

              We have to take the regulation we can get, okay? Not everyone can have legal systems that “make sense” like you get in them skandinavyvian hellholes. Catch me dead in a country where you can just assume the tap water is potable…

          • Flying Squid
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            103 hours ago

            Or import European EVs that aren’t pre-approved. No Renault Twizy.

      • @FireRetardant
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        -72 hours ago

        Sounds like a tram/light rail would be the perfect EV for you

        • @Jesusaurus
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          152 hours ago

          Can you come install one near me?

          • @FireRetardant
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            52 hours ago

            Your best option is voting for people who will build transit in your local elections

            • @glimse
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              41 hour ago

              Il not saying DON’T do vote in local elections but solves the problem…in a decade or two…and it requires buy-in from surrounding districts.

              It unfortunately does not address the short term needs of commuters

              • @FireRetardant
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                251 minutes ago

                And if we never build it it will never address the needs of commuters. Your government doesn’t think twice about a new road or expanding an existing one but will delay transit for years.