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Tesla boss Elon Musk test-drives Volkswagen ID.3 electric with rival CEO Diess
Hindustan Times ^ | September 5, 2020 | Bloomberg

Posted on 09/09/2020 7:17:27 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Elon Musk test-drove the ID.3 when he made a final stopover to meet with one of his biggest competitors, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess.

Musk also inspected the ID.4 electric SUV that Volkswagen will launch later this month.

Before Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk returned to the US after a three-day visit to Germany, he made a final stopover to meet with one of his biggest competitors - Volkswagen AG CEO Herbert Diess.

The two auto executives met at a small airport in Braunschweig for about two hours on Thursday evening and Musk test-drove VW’s ID.3 electric-car, according to people familiar with the matter. Musk also inspected the ID.4 electric SUV that VW will launch toward the end of the year, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the meeting wasn’t public.

A spokesman for VW confirmed that Diess met with Musk, but declined to comment on details.

Musk had toured Europe’s largest economy since Tuesday, visiting pharmaceutical company Curevac GmbH, before moving on to Berlin for meetings with politicians and a visit of the factory Tesla is building outside the German capital in Gruenheide. The site would be Tesla’s first car-factory in Europe and could assemble as many as 500,000 vehicles a year, underpinning Musk’s attack on the German auto establishment.

Diess has praised Musk’s achievements several times in the past, both publicly and during internal events.

The VW CEO on Friday lauded his rival yet again, saying in a LinkedIn post that Tesla’s new factory brings “trend-setting future automotive technology" to Germany.

“Tesla will live up the competition in Germany and accelerates the transformation of our established industry significantly," he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at auto.hindustantimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Germany; US: California; US: Nevada
KEYWORDS: batteryday; berlin; california; curevacgmbh; elonmusk; europeanunion; falcon9; falconheavy; germany; gigafactory; herbertdiess; nevada; panasonic; spacex; tesla; volkswagen
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To: allendale

BTW Musk himself is a very flawed drug using character.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Musk smoked pot one time on a podcast. He looked foolish and admitted that he had no idea how to smoke and that he doesn’t use pot.

Like everyone, I’m sure he has flaws. But drug use isn’t one of them. So you should be careful to not slander when calling out other’s ‘flaws’.


21 posted on 09/09/2020 7:45:45 AM PDT by bramps (It's the Islam, stupid!)
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To: Spktyr

If I still commuted I would look at a prius.


22 posted on 09/09/2020 7:45:46 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: Red Badger

As Tesla Battery Day approaches, Elon Musk hints at major capacity increases
CNET | Aug. 25, 2020 8:29 a.m. PT | Sean Szymkowski
Posted on 08/28/2020 11:03:07 AM PDT by Red Badger
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3878600/posts


23 posted on 09/09/2020 7:46:22 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: Teacher317

I agree; one thing holding people back from buying autos in China (besides lack of cash) was the road system, which has markedly improved in the past decade.


24 posted on 09/09/2020 7:47:31 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: allendale

I love my Dodge Challenger but electric vehicles are coming far, fast. I would think about getting one in the future. You call him a drug using suicidal character. what kind of drugs and what amounts? And what do you base his death wish on? You throw those things around without backing them up.

they need some backup. Saying your company stock price is too high is odd and he has said other odd things. Those aren’t suicidal comments and they do not prove drug use by any means


25 posted on 09/09/2020 7:48:36 AM PDT by dp0622 (I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE COVID GODFATHER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. YOU CAN ACT LIKE A MAN!)
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To: central_va
The wheel you pictured comes off a Honda Civic Hybrid that ceased production in 2009, over a decade ago. This is what the 2020 Honda Insight (counterpart to the old Civic Hybrid) wears today:

Still pretty mainstream modern wheels. I think your knowledge about wheels on modern cars is about a decade out of date.

26 posted on 09/09/2020 7:52:26 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: central_va
I actually wouldn't. You were right about the virtue signaling, just not about the wheels; the Prius has a bunch of interior design compromises whose entire purpose is either to cut way down on production costs or to deliberately make it feel different and 'special' inside for maximum virtue signaling feedback. For example, the instrument panel is still in the center of the vehicle and not in front of the driver.

You can get more normal cars that happen to be hybrids now, if you actually want that drivetrain. Camry, Corolla, etc., etc.

27 posted on 09/09/2020 7:56:20 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: dp0622

There are many people who share your miguided opinion. PT Barnum, HL Menchen and Samuel Clemens had great insights. Sorry but Musk did publicly use drugs and is a very strange, intelligent but flawed man.


28 posted on 09/09/2020 7:56:30 AM PDT by allendale
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To: bramps

If you cannot understand the pathological flaws of someone claiming to be a cultural and industrial visionary who parades themselves on a public podcast while using a mind altering drug and who claims his fervent wish is to take a one way trip to a barren distant planet, then you ought not to post anything.


29 posted on 09/09/2020 8:04:02 AM PDT by allendale
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To: allendale

I don’t think he has a death wish for his companies. I think he has a death wish for himself...on Mars.

He has said for a while now that his greatest wish is to among those who go to Mars and establish the first human colony there. He knows it’ll be a one-way trip, but that’s what he wants. He’s going to use his companies (Tesla, The Boring Company, SpaceX, etc.) to fund his (he hopes eventual) trip to Mars.


30 posted on 09/09/2020 8:04:36 AM PDT by hoagy62 (DTCM&OTTH)
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To: SunkenCiv
Used German luxury cars will probably be all over the markets of the world over the coming years.

Works for me...

31 posted on 09/09/2020 8:06:53 AM PDT by GOPJ (Black NFL players build mansions in white world to escape blacks - then kneel from guilt.)
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To: Spktyr
You can get more normal cars that happen to be hybrids now, if you actually want that drivetrain. Camry, Corolla, etc., etc.

I'm not specifically looking for a hybrid, that said I'm in the market to replace my 2013 Grand Cherokee and am looking at the 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime. It would be my first foreign label car and I like the fact it'll outrun a Subaru WRX in a quarter mile. :-) Not a fan of the front grill, the interior appointments and technology though are simply outstanding. Far and away better than anything else I've looked at.

32 posted on 09/09/2020 8:18:57 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: usconservative

I’m more of a 4Runner guy myself, but if it floats your boat, go for it. That said, there’s a few new bits of tech in that Prime this year, so get the extended warranty that covers them - Toyota’s a lot better than the Former Big Three in that respect, but sometimes new stuff doesn’t work out the first time and it can be really expensive to repair.


33 posted on 09/09/2020 8:23:48 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: central_va

Until Musk showed up, it was like there was a law that electric cars had to be butt ugly.


34 posted on 09/09/2020 8:25:18 AM PDT by aquila48 (Do not let them make you care! Guilting you is how they control you.)
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To: allendale

You need to read more Heinlein. Musk wants to get us into space in a big way, but he doesn’t want to end up as D.D. Harriman did in the Future History.

Let’s face it, if it weren’t for Musk we’d be begging rides to the space station for years to come.


35 posted on 09/09/2020 8:29:25 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: Spktyr
I’m more of a 4Runner guy myself, but if it floats your boat, go for it.

I had a 4Runner in Tennessee for a rental. Absolutely love that vehicle! Hands-down the best vehicle Toyota makes IMO. I just cannot justify spending that kind of money on a vehicle for myself.

I'm one of those "just because you can afford something doesn't mean you should" people... Maybe one day I'll get over that.

36 posted on 09/09/2020 8:30:11 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: usconservative

Not the worst idea, and I wouldn’t buy the current 4Runner as a new generation one may not be terribly far in the future.

I’ve got an older 3rd gen 4Runner right now, it’s still quite happily humming along. I have it in the shop right now to have the valve cover gaskets replaced as it’s 20 years/230K miles old and they just started leaking and the smell of burning oil before the engine heats up and the gaskets reseal is annoying. :P


37 posted on 09/09/2020 8:33:30 AM PDT by Spktyr (Overwhelmingly superior firepower and the willingness to use it is the only proven peace solution.)
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To: aquila48

Nowadays the Manufacturers of Super Cars have successfully embraced embraced Hybrid and All Electric Platforms.

I have a Mid Engine 2020 Corvette Stingray Hard Top Convertible on order. They are developing an all wheel drive Hybrid, Conventional Power to the rear wheels and Electric Power to the front Wheels.

The original design of the Car allowed space in the Center Backbone of the Chassis for a Battery Pack and space where the “Frunk” currently sits for the Electric Motor(s).

It will probably sell for $125,000 to $150,000, undercutting its European Competitors by Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars with nearly equal Performance.

People used to scoff at Hybrid and all Electric Vehicles. Leaps and bounds are being made in Battery Capacity and the Infrastructure of Quick Charge Stations is a game changer.


38 posted on 09/09/2020 8:49:02 AM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Kill a Commie for your Mommy.)
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To: allendale

Lol well aren’t you objective


39 posted on 09/09/2020 8:53:26 AM PDT by wardaddy (I applaud Jim Robinson for his comments on the Southern Monuments decision ...thank you run the tra)
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To: Spktyr
TESLA factory option
40 posted on 09/09/2020 9:01:39 AM PDT by shotgun
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