Latest news with #FSD
Mint
a day ago
- Automotive
- Mint
Xiaomi YU7 SUV, company's second EV, receives 240000 orders in 18 hours; challenges Tesla in China
Xiaomi's latest electric SUV, the YU7, has triggered a buying frenzy in China, racking up around 240,000 orders within just 18 hours of launch, a performance that sent the company's shares soaring to a record high on Friday. The orders, considered firm by Xiaomi, include both large deposits for vehicles ready for delivery and smaller sums for those yet to be produced. The overwhelming demand underlines the smartphone giant's growing foothold in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, as it intensifies competition with established players like Tesla. This marks Xiaomi's second foray into the EV market, following the successful debut of its SU7 sedan in March last year. Priced from 253,500 yuan (approximately $35360), the YU7 undercuts Tesla's Model Y by nearly four per cent, further fuelling speculation that the US automaker may need to respond with price cuts or new incentives to maintain its market share. 'Tesla may be forced to reduce prices further or consider bundling its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system for free to stay competitive,' said Citi analysts in a client note. The YU7's specifications are also attracting attention. Its standard model includes a substantial 96.3 kWh battery pack offering a claimed range of up to 835 kilometres (519 miles) on a single charge, significantly more than the 719-kilometre range of the redesigned Tesla Model Y, which has a smaller 78.4 kWh battery. The YU7 also offers rapid charging capabilities and a number of consumer-focused features, including under-seat storage drawers and free driver-assistance software, a feature that costs an additional 64,000 yuan on Tesla's models. While acknowledging Tesla's superiority in autonomous driving, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun argued that the YU7 surpasses the Model Y in several other areas. 'We are offering more value where it counts for Chinese drivers,' he said at the launch event. The company claimed 289,000 YU7 orders were logged within the first hour of sales on Thursday night, over three times the figure achieved by the SU7 at its debut. However, Lei cautioned that some of these may come from scalpers attempting to resell their early positions in the queue. Hundreds of listings offering order slots were spotted on the secondhand trading platform Xianyu. In response, Xiaomi has implemented a two-vehicle purchase cap per customer to deter scalping and ensure fairer distribution. (With inputs from Reuters)
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Why Tesla Faces Crackdown $58K Daily Fine Over Its Marketing
The French Ministry of the Economy has threatened to hit Tesla with a $58,000 daily fine if the automaker doesn't end what the department considers deceptive commercial practices. France is the latest country to take issue with the Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature's name since the software isn't fully autonomous or operating at Level 5 autonomy. The ministry's investigation began in 2023 following reports to France's consumer complaint service SignalConso. In addition to ruling that Tesla was responsible for misleading business practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capacity of its vehicles and the availability of certain options and trade-in offers, the department viewed Tesla as not specifying the date, deadline, or location for car deliveries, not detailing if a purchase was made on credit, and having customers make payments before the withdrawal period enjoyed by the consumer when they finance their purchase with an assigned credit ended, according to Electrek. Additionally, Tesla was described as not providing receipts when customers made partial cash payments and not rightfully refunding within the deadlines for orders. Tesla has four months to comply with the ministry's order before fines begin. In April, China began cracking down on Tesla's FSD marketing with new rules banning car companies from using words like "self-driving," "autonomous driving," "smart driving," and "advanced smart driving." Instead, China's government recommended automakers describe features like FSD as "combined assisted driving." This regulation arrived after Tesla had already changed FSD's name in China to "Intelligent Assisted Driving" following its China launch, implying the transition occurred as the investigation unfolded. While Tesla doesn't face any federal ban on its FSD terminology in the U.S., California lawmakers banned the company from using the marketing terminology in 2022. An excerpt from California's law reads: "A manufacturer or dealer shall not name any partial driving automation feature, or describe any partial driving automation feature in marketing materials, using language that implies or would otherwise lead a reasonable person to believe, that the feature allows the vehicle to function as an autonomous vehicle, as defined in Section 38750, or otherwise has functionality not actually included in the feature," according to Autobody News. FSD is also hitting roadblocks in Stockholm, Sweden, as the city's officials have rejected Tesla's request to test the tech in its streets. Stockholm's traffic department cited safety risks to its citizens and infrastructure and "heavy pressure from other ongoing innovation tests," Teslarati reports. In Australia, an ongoing lawsuit filed in February accuses Tesla of overpromising on self-driving features while flagging other issues like instances of phantom braking. Tesla's regulatory scrutiny from France is part of a global trend targeting the automaker's sales practices. The $58,000 fine Tesla faces from France's Ministry of the Economy, China's new guidelines, and California's ban show how consumer protection is becoming more critical as daily driving functions become increasingly automated and confusion about their capabilities grows. However, Tesla's recent sales struggles could impact its decision to play ball in hopes of maintaining accessibility to major global markets. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Auto Blog
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Why Tesla Faces Crackdown $58K Daily Fine Over Its Marketing
France takes aim at Tesla's sales practices The French Ministry of the Economy has threatened to hit Tesla with a $58,000 daily fine if the automaker doesn't end what the department considers deceptive commercial practices. France is the latest country to take issue with the Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature's name since the software isn't fully autonomous or operating at Level 5 autonomy. The ministry's investigation began in 2023 following reports to France's consumer complaint service SignalConso. 0:00 / 0:30 In addition to ruling that Tesla was responsible for misleading business practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capacity of its vehicles and the availability of certain options and trade-in offers, the department viewed Tesla as not specifying the date, deadline, or location for car deliveries, not detailing if a purchase was made on credit, and having customers make payments before the withdrawal period enjoyed by the consumer when they finance their purchase with an assigned credit ended, according to Electrek. Additionally, Tesla was described as not providing receipts when customers made partial cash payments and not rightfully refunding within the deadlines for orders. Tesla has four months to comply with the ministry's order before fines begin. 2025 Tesla Model Y — Source: Tesla This isn't the first time FSD terminology has come under fire In April, China began cracking down on Tesla's FSD marketing with new rules banning car companies from using words like 'self-driving,' 'autonomous driving,' 'smart driving,' and 'advanced smart driving.' Instead, China's government recommended automakers describe features like FSD as 'combined assisted driving.' This regulation arrived after Tesla had already changed FSD's name in China to 'Intelligent Assisted Driving' following its China launch, implying the transition occurred as the investigation unfolded. While Tesla doesn't face any federal ban on its FSD terminology in the U.S., California lawmakers banned the company from using the marketing terminology in 2022. An excerpt from California's law reads: 'A manufacturer or dealer shall not name any partial driving automation feature, or describe any partial driving automation feature in marketing materials, using language that implies or would otherwise lead a reasonable person to believe, that the feature allows the vehicle to function as an autonomous vehicle, as defined in Section 38750, or otherwise has functionality not actually included in the feature,' according to Autobody News. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. FSD is also hitting roadblocks in Stockholm, Sweden, as the city's officials have rejected Tesla's request to test the tech in its streets. Stockholm's traffic department cited safety risks to its citizens and infrastructure and 'heavy pressure from other ongoing innovation tests,' Teslarati reports. In Australia, an ongoing lawsuit filed in February accuses Tesla of overpromising on self-driving features while flagging other issues like instances of phantom braking. Tesla Model X and Model S — Source: Tesla Final thoughts Tesla's regulatory scrutiny from France is part of a global trend targeting the automaker's sales practices. The $58,000 fine Tesla faces from France's Ministry of the Economy, China's new guidelines, and California's ban show how consumer protection is becoming more critical as daily driving functions become increasingly automated and confusion about their capabilities grows. However, Tesla's recent sales struggles could impact its decision to play ball in hopes of maintaining accessibility to major global markets. About the Author Cody Carlson View Profile
Canada News.Net
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Canada News.Net
Musk eyes nationwide rollout after robotaxi test in Austin
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Elon Musk is taking a big step toward making his long-promised robotaxi dream a reality. Over the weekend, Tesla began testing a small group of self-driving taxis in Austin, Texas. If this trial goes well, Musk plans to expand the service to other cities later this year. The pilot program is modest for now. Only about 10 to 12 Teslas are being used, and they operate within a limited area of Austin. Each ride costs a flat fee of US$4.20. The cars are monitored remotely, and a person is sitting in the passenger seat for safety in case anything goes wrong. Musk has been promising self-driving robotaxis since 2019, saying they would be on the roads "next year." Each year, the promise was repeated but never fulfilled. In 2023, he said there would be over a million robotaxis by 2024. Now, that goal still seems far away. Meanwhile, competitors like Waymo have already launched driverless taxi services in several U.S. cities and recently completed 10 million paid rides. Unlike Tesla, Waymo uses more advanced and costly technology, including radar and laser sensors, to help its cars navigate. Tesla has faced several challenges recently. Political controversies involving Musk have affected the company's image and hurt car sales. Some investors were alarmed when $150 billion was wiped off Tesla's stock value after Musk got into an argument with the U.S. president. Although the stock has since recovered, confidence remains shaky. Still, many investors continue to back Musk, remembering how Tesla's stock has grown over the years. A decade ago, Tesla shares were $18; now they're over $300. Some experts remain cautious. Garrett Nelson, an analyst at CFRA, said the current rollout is very small, and it's unclear how quickly Musk can scale up. Seth Goldstein from Morningstar believes it could take until 2028 before robotaxis are widely available. Musk has also faced criticism for overstating the ability of Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) system. Despite its name, the system still requires the driver's attention and is not fully autonomous. The U.S. government has investigated the system after several accidents, and Tesla has faced lawsuits, some settled and others dismissed. Despite all this, Musk remains optimistic. He says the new robotaxis will run on an improved FSD system and that Tesla cars already on the road could be converted into taxis through a software update. That, he claims, could help Tesla grow its robotaxi network quickly across the country. However, Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities and a strong supporter of Musk, believes Musk might succeed this time thanks to Tesla's ability to scale rapidly. Even skeptics like Morningstar's Goldstein admit that Musk does sometimes deliver — and when he does, it's often in a big way. "Maybe his timelines aren't realistic," Goldstein says, "but he can develop futuristic technology products."
Time of India
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Elon Musk's Tesla robotaxis face federal investigation after dangerous driving videos go viral
In a major setback to Tesla's self-driving ambitions, federal regulators have launched an investigation into the company's newly debuted robotaxis following the circulation of alarming videos online. The footage, captured during the early rollout in Austin, Texas, shows Tesla's autonomous vehicles veering into opposing lanes, ignoring traffic signals, and braking without reason. These incidents have prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to begin an inquiry. Tesla had just begun offering paid robotaxi rides using its updated Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, but the troubling footage now casts doubt on the safety and reliability of the technology. Viral clips of Tesla robotaxis trigger regulatory response Videos posted on social media show multiple Tesla vehicles behaving erratically. In one case, a robotaxi is seen making an illegal maneuver from a left-turn-only lane, gliding into oncoming traffic before swerving back. Another clip shows a car braking twice in the middle of the road with no obstacles in sight. These viral incidents prompted NHTSA to issue a statement confirming it is in contact with Tesla and reviewing the events. Tesla's rollout collides with public safety concerns Tesla began offering its first commercial robotaxi rides in Austin using modified Model Y vehicles. The launch was met with enthusiasm from investors and Tesla loyalists, who hailed it as a major milestone. However, safety experts were quick to raise red flags. Critics argue that despite Tesla's claims, the FSD software still lacks the consistency and judgment required for public road use. Experts warn of unpredictable AI behavior Automotive technology specialist Sam Abuelsamid voiced strong concerns over the system's performance. 'This is not a system that should be carrying members of the public,' he said, citing its tendency to alternate between smooth operation and dangerous unpredictability. While some passengers reported flawless rides, experts stress that even rare errors can have catastrophic consequences. Tesla's regulatory history raises red flags The investigation comes amid a history of regulatory clashes between Tesla and the NHTSA. The agency previously forced the company to recall over 2.4 million vehicles due to safety concerns tied to its FSD technology. This new probe raises further questions about Tesla's readiness to deploy fully autonomous vehicles without a safety driver onboard. Musk's bold ambitions face growing pressure CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly promised that Tesla's robotaxis will revolutionize transportation, even suggesting mass deployment as early as next year. However, with competitors like Waymo already operating safer and more controlled autonomous fleets, Tesla's margin for error is shrinking. The scrutiny now threatens to slow Tesla's roadmap and put Musk's aggressive timelines at risk. What's next for Tesla's robotaxi program? While Tesla has yet to release an official statement in response to the investigation, NHTSA's involvement signals increased oversight going forward. If the agency determines that the software poses a serious risk, further recalls or restrictions could follow. For now, the future of Tesla's autonomous driving program may hinge on whether it can convince regulators—and the public—that its vehicles are truly road-ready. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
