Tesla

UPDATE, 9 April 2021: Tesla has claimed its onboard camera systems are subject to the highest level of security and privacy standards, in the wake of spying allegations from the Chinese government. In an official statement posted to the state-sanctioned Weibo forum earlier this week, the electric car specialist strenuously denied any wrongdoing and said: “Even in the United States, car owners can freely choose whether to turn on [the car's] camera.

Australian Tesla buyers will not be able to get their hands on a new Model S or Model X until 2022, with the brand's online configurator revealing deliveries of both models are on hold until next year. The electric sedan and SUV had their 2022 facelifts revealed in January 2021, but customers wanting to purchase the current, pre-facelift model have missed the cutoff and will have to wait until 2022.

Controversial electric-car whiz Elon Musk has updated his job title from CEO to “Technoking of Tesla” – as in Techno King – according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission overnight. The eccentric billionaire is yet to explain the reason for the bizarre move. Meanwhile, the company’s chief financial officer Zach Kirkhorn has been officially designated “Master of Coin.”

Tesla’s Fremont factory in California has reportedly halted production of the Model 3 and Model Y, due to an ongoing semiconductor shortage. It is not yet clear what volume of cars will be affected, however, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg earlier this week the line would likely be down until March 7.

Lexus has regained the top-spot in the annual J.D. Power vehicle dependability survey, while Land Rover has found itself at the bottom of the list for the second year running. The study – which ranks car brands sold in the US based on the number of problems reported by customers for every 100 new vehicles sold over a 12-month period – found overall vehicle reliability was at an all-time high. The average manufacturer experienced 1.21 faults per car, down from 1.34 12 months ago.