2021 Tesla Model Y Performance Awd 4dr Crossover on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Panasonic ready to start big investment in Tesla Gigafactory

To paraphrase Dr. Evil from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, why spend a trillion when you could spend ... billions? That's what Panasonic is saying about its investment in Tesla's gigafactory, though there's a catch. The billions are in Japanese yen. Yes, Panasonic will invest "tens of billions of yen" into the Gigafactory slated for the great state of Nevada, Reuters says, citing comments from Panasonic Chief Executive Kazuhiro Tsuga. That's not exactly specific, but 10 billion yen is equal to about $92 million. We've heard Panasonic's share of the new factory could be as high as $2-3 billion, but at least now we have a starting point Whatever Panasonic's kicking in, Nevada is also ponying up a pretty penny. Last month, Tesla said it would build the factory near Reno after reaching an agreement that calls for about $1.2 billion in incentives from the state over a 20-year period. Tesla and lithium-ion battery maker Panasonic officially announced their gigafactory partnership in late July, though Panasonic wasn't talking numbers at the time. All told, the plant is expected to cost about $5 billion to build and is considered necessary for Tesla to reach the scale to build its planned $35,000 EV, the Model 3. That's because the factory is will have the capacity to produce about a half-million (no, we didn't say "billions") electric vehicles a year.

Chinese company gives Tesla Model S sedans as bonus

We are in the wrong business. Apparently, some companies award its employees this thing called a "bonus." According to reports, it often comes in the form of a cash payout, but it seems it can take other shapes too, including our favorite: Tesla Model S-shape. Chinese app outfit WiFi???? (WiFi Skeleton Key) appreciates its workers so much that it is giving dozens of them an electric sedan as a reward for their hard work and loyalty. The only catch was that they had to have been employed by the Shanda-backed tech firm for at least four months. Reportedly, the act of generosity will cost the start up more than CNY 30 million ($4.8 million at today's rates). Though perhaps lavish by western standards, top Chinese tech companies have been handing out end-of-year bonuses as large as several years worth of regular pay. According to founder Chen Danian, "Talent is the key determinant for the success of high-tech companies. Through this move, we want to show how much we value and respect our talent." Indeed. We can only hope that this example of largesse gets echoed by our own corporate overlords, and in case anyone is asking, I'll take a P85D in Pearl White with 21-inch grey turbine wheels. Thank you. Related Video:

Awaiting Chevy Trailblazer, driving Ford Ranger | Autoblog Podcast #580

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Green Editor John Beltz Snyder. First, they discuss the news, including the Chevy Trailblazer, Ferrari to stop providing Maserati with engines, an upcoming Ferrari Hybrid, Elon Musk's sex jokes and the reveal of the McLaren GT. They also talk at length about a couple vehicles they've been driving: the Kia Niro EV and the Ford Ranger. Autoblog Podcast #580 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Chevy Trailblazer could be coming to the U.S. Ferrari to stop supplying engines to Maserati Ferrari to reveal a hybrid supercar Sex on Autopilot McLaren GT revealed Cars we're driving: 2019 Kia Niro EV 2019 Ford Ranger Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Green Podcasts Chevrolet Ferrari Ford Kia Maserati McLaren Tesla Truck Coupe Crossover Hatchback Electric Future Vehicles Hybrid Off-Road Vehicles Performance Supercars