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Tesla tries again on Musk’s record pay packageNearly three months ago, a Delaware court voided Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package that Tesla’s board — and most shareholders — had given him in 2018, contending that the process to decide it was “deeply flawed” and that the company didn’t properly disclose it to investors. On Wednesday, Tesla said that it would ask shareholders to vote again on that same pay package, now valued at about $47 billion, at its annual meeting on June 13. The company’s board is effectively asking shareholders, now armed with all of the information that was revealed about the negotiations in court, to make the court’s ruling moot. The vote is likely to set off a bitter battle among investors and governance experts over whether shareholders should provide Musk with the richest pay package in U.S. corporate history. It comes as Tesla faces new challenges, especially slumping sales that have erased billions off its market value in recent months.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk’s, — Locations: Delaware

As sales of Teslas drop and demand for electric vehicles cools — even as more models enter the market — an increasing number of automakers are competing for a slice of a shrinking pie. Nearly 269,000 electric vehicles were sold in the United States in the first three months of this year, according to Kelley Blue Book. And amid the quarter-to-quarter slowdown in the industry, Tesla’s market share has fallen from 62 percent at the start of 2023 to 51 percent now. Elon Musk told employees on Monday that Tesla would cut 10 percent of its work force. Investors, in turn, have been spooked: Tesla’s stock price has dropped over 30 percent this year, erasing billions of dollars in market capitalization.

Persons: Kelley, Elon Musk, Tesla Locations: United States

☆ Tesla heads to court after Apple engineer’s family says Autopilot caused his fatal crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But Huang’s family said Tesla oversold its Autopilot technology’s capabilities, and that it is not as safe to use as advertised. Tesla has come under intense scrutiny for its Autopilot technology over the six years since Huang’s fatal crash. That didn’t happen in the case of Huang’s crash, Tesla has said. Although Huang’s family acknowledges he was distracted while the car was driving, they argue Tesla is at fault because it falsely marketed Autopilot as self-driving software. If the jury finds in favor of Huang’s family, Tesla could have to pay damages, and they could add up quickly.

Persons: New York CNN — Tesla, Tesla, Walter Huang, Elon Musk, Huang, Huang’s, Mrs, ”, Mark Fong, Musk, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, National Transportation Safety, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA Locations: New York, Silicon Valley, United States, California

☆ Tesla Settles Lawsuit Over a Fatal Crash Involving Autopilot
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla on Monday settled a lawsuit that blamed the automaker’s driver-assistance software for the death of a California man in 2018, averting a trial that would have focused attention on the company’s technology several months before it plans to unveil a self-driving taxi. The trial stemming from the death of Wei Lun Huang, an Apple software engineer who went by Walter, was scheduled to start Monday with jury selection. The case was one of the most prominent involving Tesla’s Autopilot software, attracting significant public attention and prompting an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Terms of the settlement with Mr. Huang’s children and other members of his family were not disclosed, and Tesla filed court documents seeking to prevent them from being made public. Testimony in the trial would have put Tesla’s autonomous driving software under close scrutiny, further fueling a debate about whether the technology makes cars safer or exposes drivers and others to serious injury or death.

Persons: Tesla, Wei Lun Huang, Walter Organizations: Apple, National Transportation Safety Locations: California

☆ What’s wrong with Tesla?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

EV sales growth has been slowing for a while but in the last two quarters, EV sales didn’t increase much at all, according to estimates from Cox Automotive. “Looking at the data, the big [EV] slowdown is shaping up to be a Tesla slowdown,” said Valdez Streaty. Last year, Tesla sales were up 38% compared to 2022, but investors had expected more. While that’s much less than the roughly 80% of EV sales Tesla accounted for in 2019, according to Edmunds.com, it’s still a majority. But, if you leave out Tesla, sales of other electric vehicles, as a group, were up 33%.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, Stephanie Valdez Streaty, Ford, ”, Valdez, It’s, Teslas, it’s, ” Valdez Streaty, Musk, tirades, Søren Holm, ” Tesla, ” Holm, Holm, “, Chris Isidore Organizations: CNN, Cox Automotive, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, EV, Tesla, Ford, Hyundai, Twitter, Reuters, Caliber, Covid Locations: United States, Edmunds.com, Teslas, Denmark

☆ Elon Musk announces Tesla will unveil a ‘robotaxi’ on August 8
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But Musk, on a Friday afternoon, when companies tend to bury news, announced on X that Tesla would unveil its robotaxi on August 8. “Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8,” the Tesla CEO (and owner of X) posted. Musk has said in the past that Tesla will make a car without controls for a human to use. Musk has said the system will one day make Tesla cars incredibly valuable. Cruise has paused its testing work after one of its self-driving cars hit and dragged a pedestrian.

Persons: CNN — Elon Musk, Tesla, “ Tesla, Musk, ” Musk, ”, Kelly Funkhouser, she’s, “ You’re, “, Cruise, Waymo Organizations: CNN, Tesla, Consumer, Department of Justice

☆ Why this market has left behind direct-to-consumer companies like Warby Parker, AllBirds and Rent the Runway
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Direct-to-consumer brands – household names like HelloFresh, Peloton, Allbirds, Stitch Fix, Warby Parker and Rent the Runway, which cut out traditional retailers, wholesalers and other middlemen – have been falling. Investors shied away from high-growth stocks and retreated into companies with solid fundamentals and, most importantly, lots of profit. The problem is that none of these direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies have managed to make the transition to profitability themselves. Rent the Runway was down $114 million, and mattress company Purple lost about $121 million. Other companies, like SmileDirectClub, which went public in 2019, and Winc, a wine subscription company that went public in 2021, have declared bankruptcy.

Persons: Allbirds, Warby Parker, don’t, they’ll, ”, Ben Cogan, they’ve, Cogan, Casper, “, it’s, Sesame, Michael Botta, Tesla, Chris Isidore, Elon Organizations: New, New York CNN, Agora, CNN, Hubble, Venture, “, Companies, Wonder Group, Durational Capital Management, Costco, Western, Tesla Locations: New York

☆ Tesla has a big competitor. And it is China’s BYD
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Rosa Deacostanoya | Rosa De Acosta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In 2023, Tesla sold around 230,000 more cars than BYD. That drop was big enough for Tesla, which sold 386,810 BEVs in the same period, to retake its former position despite posting plunging sales. Both Tesla and BYD are expanding beyond their home markets and investing in factories abroad. BYD sold about 3 million electric cars, including hybrids, in 2023 globally. By comparison, Tesla, which does not sell hybrids, delivered a total of 1.8 million vehicles worldwide last year, which was about 19% of the global market for BEVs.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Wang Chuanfu, It’s, Murthy Grandhi, BYD, Tesla Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Tesla, Toyota, French PSA Group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Chrysler, Maserati, Peugeot, BMW, Ford, Benz, Ferrari, Yuan, Rho, BEVs Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, London, United States, American, Shanghai, California, Canada, European

Tesla’s woes prompt an E.V. reassessmentWall Street has sounded the alarm for weeks that the transition to electric vehicles may be stalling, despite billions in government subsidies and huge investments by auto giants. Tesla’s latest sales figures suggest that the pullback may be worse than thought — and beyond one company’s ability to fix. Tesla’s numbers undershot forecasts. That has contributed to a more than 30 percent decline in Tesla’s stock, which has made it one of the worst performers on the S&P 500 this year.

☆ Tesla sales plunge far more than expected
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla has responded to increased competition by cutting prices. Although Tesla is more profitable than traditional automakers, the price cuts have been squeezing the profit margins that helped boost the stock. But the increased competition in the EV space is a big factor in the decline in demand. In the fourth quarter, Tesla lost the title of the world’s best-selling maker of EVs to Chinese automaker BYD. That has prompted some traditional automakers, such as General Motors and Ford, to pull back on their EV production plans.

Persons: New York CNN — Tesla, Elon, it’s, Tesla, Dan Ives, ” Ives, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Western, Tesla, Wedbush Securities, Motors, Ford Locations: New York, Fremont, China, Europe

☆ Tesla’s Sales Drop, a Sign That Its Grip on the E.V. Market Is Slipping
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The company said it delivered 387,000 cars worldwide in the first quarter, down 8.5 percent from 423,000 vehicles in the same period last year. This was the first time Tesla’s quarterly sales have fallen on a year over year basis since the pandemic started in 2020. The sales figures were also significantly lower than the estimates of Wall Street analysts who had expected a modest increase. The reduced deliveries are the latest sign that Tesla’s dominance of the market for electric cars is slipping. And in the United States, sales of electric cars are not growing as fast as they were a year ago.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk Organizations: Elon, Wall Street, Volkswagen, BMW Locations: China, Europe, United States

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla sales fell sharply last quarter as competition increased worldwide, electric vehicle sales growth slowed, and price cuts failed to draw more buyers. In its letter to investors in January, Tesla predicted “notably lower” sales growth this year. In March it temporarily knocked $1,000 off the Model Y, its top-selling vehicle. During the quarter, Tesla lost production time in Germany after a suspected arson attack cut its power supply. But sales growth slowed toward the end of the year.

Persons: Tesla, FactSet, Dan Ives, ”, Elon Musk, ” Ives, Ives, Itay Organizations: DETROIT, Tesla, Citi, U.S, EV Locations: Austin , Texas, Fremont , California, Red, China, Germany

Politicians and auto executives on both sides of the Atlantic are calling for more protectionist measures. After Tesla lost its crown to BYD as the world’s biggest E.V. Otherwise, the Tesla C.E.O. said, Chinese E.V. The continent’s auto sector employs 13 million people and generates 8 percent of the bloc’s G.D.P.

Persons: China Tesla, —, Warren Buffett, Tesla, Elon Musk, ” Luca de Meo, Vivienne Walt, DealBook, ”, June’s E.U Organizations: Renault Group’s, Airbus Locations: China, Europe, June’s

☆ Electric vehicles are changing how America goes camping
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

While still a small minority, campers are more likely to own an electric vehicle than those who don’t go camping, according to a survey by Kampgrounds of America, the nation’s largest campground operator. Only about 1% of Americans currently have an electric vehicle, according to KOA, but about 4% of regular campers do. “We’ve had customers cross coasts, all the way up to Canada, all the way across Canada and back down, all with an electric vehicle,” said Bowlus CEO Geneva Long. Courtesy RivianThe physical layout of most EV chargers can be a challenge for campers. The vast majority of EV chargers are placed at the ends of parking spaces so vehicles have to either pull in, nosing the front bumper up to the charger, or reverse back in.

Persons: I’m, ”, Matt Linn, Linn, Mike Kowal, McKay Featherstone, They’ve, Bowlus, “ We’ve, Geneva, It’s, Toby O’Rourke, KOA, O’Rourke, it’s, Rivian, Sara Eslinger, ” Linn, Rivian’s Elsinger Organizations: CNN, Ford, Rockwood, Thor Industries, Designers, Airstream, KOA, don’t, EV Locations: America, Texas, Central Coast , California, Canada, Yosemite, Big Sur , California, who’s

☆ China’s Xiaomi joins the crowded EV race with ‘dream car’ to take on Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Xiaomi formally launched its much-anticipated electric car — the new Speed Ultra 7 (SU7) sedan — on Thursday night in Beijing. “Xiaomi wants to build a ‘dream car’ comparable to Porsche and Tesla,” he said on Weibo Wednesday. On Thursday, Xiaomi announced that prices for SU7 models would range from 215,900 yuan ($29,874) to 299,900 yuan ($41,497). Xiaomi’s SU7 has been on display in showrooms in 29 cities across mainland China since Monday, according to Lei. People look at Xiaomi's first electric vehicle SU7, displayed in a newly opened Xiaomi store in Beijing on March 25, 2024.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Xiaomi, Lei Jun, “ Xiaomi, ”, Xiaomi, SU7, Lei, Tingshu Wang, It’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Porsche, Tesla, Weibo, Counterpoint Research, Reuters, Porsche Taycan, Tesla’s Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China, EVs

☆ Why Elon Musk Needs China
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Mara Hvistendahl | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When Elon Musk first set up Tesla’s factory in China, he appeared to have the upper hand. He also got workers accustomed to long hours and fewer protections, after clashing with U.S. regulators over labor conditions at his California plant. The Shanghai factory helped make Tesla the most valuable car company in the world and Mr. Musk ultrarich. Mr. Musk helped create his competition, Chinese E.V. makers that are taking market share and becoming a security concern for the United States and Europe.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk Locations: China, California, Shanghai, United States, Europe

When Elon Musk unveiled the first Chinese-made Teslas in Shanghai in 2020, he went off script and started dancing. Mr. Musk had reason to celebrate. Mr. Musk would build one in Shanghai that would become a flagship, accounting for over half of Tesla’s global deliveries and the bulk of its profits. Mr. Musk initially seemed to have the upper hand in the relationship, securing concessions from China that were rarely offered to foreign businesspeople. Tesla’s China pivot has also tethered Mr. Musk to Beijing in a way that is drawing scrutiny from U.S. policymakers.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Tesla Locations: Shanghai, China, Beijing

☆ BYD’s profit soared 80% in the year the Chinese EV giant overtook Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Laura He | Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Net profit almost doubled to 30 billion yuan ($4.2 billion) last year, from 16.6 billion yuan ($2.3 billion) in 2022, the Shenzhen-based company said Tuesday. BYD sold 525,409 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) during that period, compared with Tesla’s 484,507. In 2023 as a whole, BYD sold a record 3.02 million vehicles globally, up 62% from 2022. Its entry-level model sells in China for the equivalent of just over $10,000; the cheapest Tesla car, a Model 3, costs almost $39,000. But intensifying competition and a brutal price war last year have impacted the profit margins of many Chinese car makers, including BYD.

Persons: London CNN — BYD, That’s, Warren Buffett, BYD, Tesla, Elon Musk’s carmaker Organizations: London CNN, Elon, Tesla, Chinese Passenger Car Association, Geely, Chery, XPeng Motors Locations: Hong Kong, London, Shenzhen, China

☆ Safety regulators probe Ford driver assist features after fatal crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington DC CNN —The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Monday it has opened an investigation into a recent Ford Mustang Mach-E fatal crash in San Antonio, Texas, where authorities suspect an advanced driver assistance system was in use. Driver assistance features are being hailed by automakers as a way to reduce accidents, but federal safety regulators are concerned that over-reliance on the features by drivers could be causing some accidents. While NHTSA has opened more than three dozen Tesla special crash investigations since 2016 where advanced driver assistance systems such as Autopilot were suspected of being used with 20 crash deaths reported, this is NHTSA’s first special crash probe involving a Ford advanced system. NHTSA typically opens more than 100 special crash investigations annually into emerging technologies and other potential auto safety issues. In addition to the NHTSA probe, on Friday, the National Transportation Safety Board opened a separate investigation into the Feb. 24 crash.

Persons: Jeffrey Allen Johnson, Austin, Ford, “, CNN’s Chris Isidore Organizations: Washington DC CNN, Traffic Safety Administration, Ford, NHTSA, National Transportation Safety, NTSB, San, Honda Locations: San Antonio , Texas, San Antonio

☆ How Irish business is winning in the US: It’s not all butter and cheese
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Irish companies have to think about being in an Irish domestic market which is frankly, really small, or just going global straightaway. The US is particularly strong for Irish companies; the US economy has held up well. I think Irish companies are very adept at pivoting into what other other countries need and being part of the story. It seems like Irish companies are increasingly becoming job creators in the US. Glanbia Foods, an Irish company that manufactures American-style cheese, now produces one in four slices of cheese consumed in the US.

Persons: Bell, Leo Clancy, Joe Biden, we’ve, it’s, that’s, That’s, We’re, It’s, We’ve, Tesla, Elon Musk’s Tesla, Wells, Colin Langan, ” Langan, Elisabeth Buchwald Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, European Union and International Monetary Fund, Enterprise Ireland, Patrick’s, Entrepreneurship, Federal Reserve, Companies, UBS, Tesla, NAR, National Association of Realtors Locations: New York, Ireland, United States, Jefferson , Wisconsin, America, Irish, Europe, Washington, We’re, automaking, Wells Fargo

☆ Elon Musk details his prescription ketamine use, says investors should want him to ‘keep taking it’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk said he is “almost always” sober during his late-night — or, in some cases, very early morning — posting sessions on his social media platform, X. The billionaire Tesla CEO’s comment was made in an interview with journalist Don Lemon, during which Musk discussed his use of the medication ketamine. Musk denied that he overuses the medication, saying, “if you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done. Musk previously said advertisers who left X over concerns about antisemitic content could “go f**k yourself” and accused them of killing the company. “If you insist on censorship of the entire platform, even where your advertising doesn’t appear, then obviously we will not want them as an advertiser.”

Persons: New York CNN — Elon Musk, Tesla, Don Lemon, Musk, ” Musk, Lemon, ”, doesn’t, X Musk, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, Tesla’s, X Locations: New York

☆ What Elon Musk Said in Testy Interview on Don Lemon’s New Show
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The interview was intended to be the debut episode of a new talk show in a partnership between Mr. Lemon and X, but Mr. Musk called off the deal a day after filming the hour-plus interview at Tesla’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. The first episode of “The Don Lemon Show” was streamed on YouTube and posted to Mr. Lemon’s account on X. In the interview, Mr. Musk said that earlier this month he was having breakfast at an unnamed friend’s home in Florida when Mr. Trump came by. Mr. Musk also said he would not loan Mr. Trump money to pay his legal bills.

Persons: Don Lemon’s, Elon Musk, Donald J, Trump, Musk’s, Lemon, Musk, Don Lemon Organizations: Elon, Mr, YouTube Locations: Austin , Texas, Florida

☆ Tesla’s Troubles Raise Questions About Its Invincibility
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“They can’t stop us,” Mr. Musk, the company’s chief executive, told workers in a giant tent beside the plant. But there are proliferating signs that Tesla may not be as unstoppable as it once seemed. Chinese automakers and established brands like BMW and Volkswagen are flooding the market with electric cars. Mr. Musk’s many outside ventures, and his penchant for making polarizing political statements and attacking people he disagrees with, have raised questions about how focused he remains on managing Tesla. Wall Street is increasingly concerned about the company: Tesla’s share price has lost one-third of its value this year even as major stock indexes have hit record highs.

Persons: Elon Musk, ” Mr, Musk, Tesla Organizations: BMW, Volkswagen Locations: Tesla’s, Berlin

☆ Federal investigators look into crash of Mustang Mach-E equipped with driver assistance tech
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Investigators with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating a fatal crash involving a Ford Mustang Mach-E equipped with advanced driving assistance technology. Ford shows off the new model 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT during the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place convention center in Chicago, Illinois on February 8, 2024. Federal investigators are looking at dozens of crashes involving so-called advanced driver assistance, or ADAS, systems. ADAS systems handle basic driving tasks such as keeping the vehicle in its lane while maintaining a safe distance behind vehicles ahead, usually in highway driving only. Fourteen of these systems, including two from Ford, were recently rated by the private Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Persons: Jacek Boczarski, Ford, IIHS, Jennifer Homendy Organizations: CNN, National, Traffic Safety Administration, National Transportation Safety, Ford, of Highway Safety, NTSB, Chicago Auto, McCormick, Getty, NHTSA, Wall Street, Federal, General Motors, Volvo, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Locations: “, San Antonio, Chicago , Illinois, Anadolu, Ford, Texas

☆ Tesla Settles Discrimination Suit With Former Factory Worker
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Jack Ewing | More About Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla and a former employee have agreed to settle a closely watched lawsuit that cast a harsh light on the carmaker’s treatment of Black workers. Lawyers for Tesla and for Owen Diaz, who worked at the company’s factory in Fremont, Calif., did not disclose the terms of the settlement in a legal filing on Friday. Organ, a lawyer for Mr. Diaz, said in an email, adding that he could not comment further. A supervisor drew a racist caricature near his work station, according to testimony in the case. Tesla did little to discipline the supervisors or address pervasive racism at the factory, the jury found.

Persons: Tesla, Owen Diaz, “, ” Lawrence, Diaz Organizations: Tesla Locations: Fremont , Calif, San Francisco, Tesla’s

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