Tesla

UPDATE: A similar Tesla filing from July 2020 suggests the US-based electric vehicle manufacturer is looking to employ radar technology inside its cabins to "reduce the risk of pediatric vehicular heatstroke, protect vehicle occupants from injury through advanced airbag deployment and seatbelt reminders, and enhance theft prevention systems."

The Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle has seemingly done the unthinkable and topped the UK new-car sales charts in December 2020 – outselling the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Fiesta for the month. It is the second time the Tesla Model 3 has led the UK new-car sales race in a given month. The first time was in April 2020 when the market plummeted by 97 per cent; Tesla won the sales race with just 658 vehicles reported as sold.

A mysterious 2021 Tesla Model S prototype has been spotted testing in the US, which many believe is our first look at an upcoming facelift for the Tesla's flagship electric sedan. The blue, manufacturer-registered example spotted by Twitter user @klwtts features a new rear diffuser, black tailgate trim (replacing chrome on current cars) and tweaked revised headlight and front fog light signatures, suggesting an assortment of mild exterior updates are in the works for the Model S.

The CEO of the Volkswagen Group has announced the company's plans to launch an electric assault known as 'Mission T' in an effort to "catch up" with its key rival, Tesla. In a LinkedIn post titled How we transform Volkswagen, CEO Herbert Diess detailed a strategy to challenge the American electric car maker at its own game, to be spearheaded by Audi's Artemis development project.

The Tesla Model S could be in line for yet another increase to its all-electric driving range, according to new reports out of the US. Online electric vehicle-centric publication Electrek obtained images of the dealer 'window sticker' – a mandatory label attached to new US-market vehicles detailing pricing, fuel/energy consumption and key equipment information – affixed to a new, November-produced Model S Long Range Plus, revealing an EPA-rated combined range of 409 miles, or 658km.