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Tesla has cut prices on some of its electric vehicles for the second time this month and the sixth time this year.
Tesla cut the prices of the Model Y 'long range' and 'performance' vehicles by $3000 each and the Model 3 with rear-wheel drive by $2000 to $39,990.
So far this year, the Elon Musk-led company has cut U.S. prices of its base Model 3 by 11% and that of its base Model Y by 20%.
The move comes as tougher standards will be introduced that will limit EV tax credits.
TESLA CUTS PRICES IN THE US AGAIN TO SPUR DEMAND
A Tesla Model 3 sedans and Tesla Model X sport utility vehicle at a new Tesla showroom. (REUTERS/Yilei Sun / Reuters Photos)
Earlier in April, the Model S sedan's starting price was reduced to $84,990, a $5,000 cut from the prior month's price.
The Model X starting at $94,990 was cut by $5,000.
The company has been trying to increase interest with price cuts in Europe, Israel and Singapore as well as in Japan, Australia and South Korea.
NEW JERSEY PAUSES EV REBATES AS DEMAND SURGES
A Tesla Model 3 is seen in a showroom in Los Angeles, California. (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson / Reuters Photos)
Tesla has also expanded a discount drive it started in China in January.
Investors will be looking at how this year's price cuts have affected the bottom line as reports for the first quarter are released on Wednesday.
Tesla has reported a 4% sequential rise in deliveries in the first quarter, much less than the 17.8% sequential rise in the prior quarter.
ELON MUSK: NO ‘MAGICAL CURE FOR INFLATION’
Tesla CEO Elon Musk alongside the electric automakers logo. (Getty Images/AP / Getty Images)
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Analysts are expecting Tesla to report a 24.2% year-on-year increase in first-quarter revenue to $23.29 billion, with the average profit estimate falling by about 2.4%, according to Refinitiv data.Ticker Security Last Change Change % TSLA TESLA INC. 184.31 -2.73 -1.46%
Through Tuesday, Tesla shares have gained nearly 50% this year.
Sometimes on Alibaba, you find something that makes you stop, scratch your head, and wonder whether the designer started with a golf cart and added a pickup truck bed… or started with a farm truck and grafted on the front half of a golf cart. Either way, the end result is this glorious mashup of country club chic and back-forty practicality.
It’s also the perfect candidate for this week’s edition of the Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week – a chance to dumpster dive through some of the coolest and most innovative EVs on the internet.
Up front, you’ve got what looks like your standard neighborhood golf cart – small tires, stubby hood, upright windshield, and a seating arrangement that says, “I could drop you off, but you’re carrying the clubs.”
But move your eyes toward the rear and suddenly you’re on a rural Chinese farm. It’s basically the epitome of the classic Chinese farm truck… and I’ve walked the line at Chinese farm truck factories. That short golf cart chassis has been stretched into a full-blown flatbed mini-truck, complete with drop-down side gates and a tailgate to turn it into a flatbed. It’s ready to haul hay bales, tools, or apparently, livestock (as our graphics department so tastefully demonstrated above).
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The pièce de résistance? That big, plastic laundry basket bolted to the hood with “SPORT” proudly embossed on it. Who needs a glove box when you’ve already got a whole hamper right in front of you? Perfect for golf balls, groceries, or the world’s most precariously placed toolbox.
Despite the hybrid identity crisis, the specs are no joke. Wel, ok – they’re a little funny. This little utility cart boasts a 72V, 1,500W rear-axle motor that can whisk you along at up to 38 km/h (about 24 mph). That’s quick enough to get you in trouble on the fairway or make a speedy feed run at the farm. It can even climb a 20-degree grade, meaning you’ll have no problem hauling a load of goat feed up your driveway. Range is listed at 70 km (43 miles), so you can spend all day zipping between barn and bunker without a recharge.
Weighing in at 317 kg (just under 700 lb), it’s heavy enough to feel stable but light enough that you could probably push it out of a sand trap with a couple of buddies if you really had to. It’s also got a key start, built-in speakers, and of course, that open-air cabin that’s perfect for warm days and questionable weather decisions.
And the price? Just $2,300… if you happen to be standing on the factory floor in China with cash in hand (or just $2,000 if you buy 100 of them!). That’s the factory floor (EXW) price, which means by the time you pay for shipping, import duties, and a customs officer’s confused glare, you’ll be spending a lot more to get one into your driveway. And with tariffs the way they are, now it’s around 40% more than “a lot more.”
Is it a golf cart? Is it a truck? Is it a lifestyle? Yes. It’s all of those things. And in a world where we usually have to choose between impractical fun and functional utility, this weird little contraption says, “Why not both?”
Whether you’re hauling mulch around your garden, running parts around a warehouse, or pulling up to the clubhouse looking like you just came from a tractor pull, this Alibaba gem has you covered. Just be prepared for the stares – not everyone is ready for the future of cross-genre utility vehicles.
A casual warning
As always, a friendly reminder before you start reaching for your credit card: don’t actually go buying one of these things. Seriously. These bizarre Chinese EVs are a blast to gawk at, but this column is just a lighthearted weekend stroll through Alibaba’s wildest listings. I’ve scored a few fun wins on the site, but I’ve also taken some expensive lumps (there’s an electric excavator scam story that has yet to be told…), so this is definitely not a shopping guide for anyone faint of heart or who values their hard-earned money.
Sure, some daring (or just plain stubborn) readers have ignored my advice and rolled the dice anyway, but please don’t be the one who ends up with a sad story and a thinner bank account. Consider this your official “you’ve been warned” notice.
For now, let’s just enjoy how wonderfully absurd it is that a golf cart–pickup truck hybrid even exists, and leave the gambling to the pros. Until next week’s weird Alibaba EV, this is Micah signing off.
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