Tesla Motors has reportedly delayed the launch of its highly anticipated low-cost electric vehicle, adding to a list of challenges faced by the world's second-largest EV maker in its colourful yet controversial story.
The company founded by the world's wealthiest person, Elon Musk, had touted that the more affordable Model Y would be rolled out in the first half of 2025.
However, this has been pushed back to anywhere between the second half of this year to early 2026, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources. Texas-based Tesla has yet to comment on the report.
Here are some of the biggest challenges Tesla has faced.
Rookie pains
Tesla made its first big splash with its debut EV, the two-seater Roadster, in 2008 – catapulting the upstart company into the limelight and planting the seeds for a seismic change in the auto industry.
However, two major issues arose at the time. First was charging – still an issue despite innovations to speed it up – as Tesla's original EV needed anywhere between 24 to 48 hours to power up using a home charger.
The second was the price – Tesla charged $100,000 for the Roadster, pricing out most consumers. For perspective, while the Model S Plaid now fetches a similar price, customers can get a Model Y for as low as $41,490 and even the Cybertruck starts at a little over $72,000. That's in addition to the plethora of options offered by Tesla's rivals, particularly those from China.
Financial humps
In its earliest days, Tesla struggled with its finances. At one point, it had less than $10 million to operate with, and $50 million from Germany's Daimler would not have been enough to support its lofty goals.
To address this, Tesla went public in 2010, raising about $226 million. However, the company was still criticised for its losses, and it was not able to post a quarterly profit until 2013. It was not until 2020 that it finally turned in a full-year profit.
Today, things are more stable. Tesla's market capitalisation surged past the $1 trillion mark in 2021, at the time becoming only the fifth US company to join that elite club. As of Saturday, its market cap sits at more than $776 billion, good for 11th globally, data from CompaniesMarketCap shows.
Chinese rivals
Never mind European and fellow American carmakers, Tesla's biggest headache seems to be the onslaught of competition from China. That country's EV manufacturers have found a way to offer competitive vehicles at even more competitive prices.
The most popular of those foes is BYD, which in the fourth quarter of 2023 overtook Tesla as the world's biggest EV maker, eventually knocking Tesla off the top spot for 2024 – the first time Mr Musk and Co did not finish at No 1 on a yearly basis.
As of January, six of the 10 biggest EV manufacturers are from China, data from CleanTechnica shows.
Total recalls
Last month, Tesla recalled thousands of Cybertrucks in the US due to the risk of part of its trim falling off, in the vehicle's eighth and largest recall.
But that is only part of a wider picture. Tesla has been forced into recalls 79 times, according to data compiled by online marketplace Cars.com, based on statistics from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Cybertruck ridicule
The Tesla Cybertruck was the epitome of futuristic – radical design, advanced technology and a polarising reputation.
However, it immediately ran into trouble when, during its much-hyped unveiling in 2019, metal balls thrown at its "virtually unbreakable" windows shattered them. And since its launch in late 2023, the Cybertruck has polarised opinion – one side swears by its performance, while the other lambasts it.
The numbers are not helping either. Mr Musk predicted that 250,000 Cybertrucks would be sold annually, but since its rollout only about 46,000 have been sold, which is 82 per cent below expectations.
Musk's politics
It is no secret that Mr Musk played a big role in helping Donald Trump recapture the White House, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the campaign trail. As a result, Mr Musk was named a special government employee (SGE) tasked with heading the US Department of Government Efficiency, which we know by its acronym Doge.
Doge's mandate is to streamline and cut costs on US federal spending – AKA, in Mr Musk's apparent strategy, fire people and take over sensitive government units.
For that, and for his alignment with the Trump administration, the retaliation against Mr Musk has taken three main forms. The first is falling sales – first-quarter figures were their worst in three years, while the second is investors punishing Tesla in the stock market: from a high of nearly $480 in mid-November, its shares more than halved to about $222 earlier this month.
The third came from consumers and the general public, particularly those incensed by his job cutting, with one popular protester slogan being "Nobody elected Elon Musk". Tesla owners have also found creative ways to make their sentiments known by either "rebranding" their Tesla EVs or removing their logos.
As an SGE, Mr Musk is limited by law to working for the US government for 135 days or less in a 365-day period. It is unclear what his and Mr Trump's plans are after this term expires.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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The five pillars of Islam
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Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
More on animal trafficking
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The years Ramadan fell in May
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
