Elon Musk Boosts Tesla Shares with $1B Investment: TDS

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      Good morning and welcome to The Downshift, or TDS for short.

      TDS is concise, focused, and straightforward, concentrating on the latest automotive news from around the world. Instead of in-depth articles, TDS presents brief summaries of stories in a single sentence, providing links for those who desire more detail.

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      My first cup of coffee is finished, so let’s dive in.

      🚘 What I’m driving: I returned to the U.S. yesterday and jumped into the 2025 Ford Expedition Platinum; more on that will come tomorrow.

      📈 Tesla CEO Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world, revealed he purchased approximately $1 billion worth of the company’s stock, equating to 2.57 million shares, as a show of confidence in the electric vehicle manufacturer’s future, following the board's proposal for a $1 trillion compensation plan for him.

      🏚️ Ford announced it will tear down its iconic headquarters known as the “Glass House,” which has stood since 1956, to construct a new building that will be twice the size, aiming for greater collaboration on a nearby campus.

      ⚙️ Reports suggest that the next Mercedes-Benz AMG C 63 will replace today’s plug-in hybrid turbo-4 engine with a six-cylinder turbocharged engine, after receiving a lukewarm response following the removal of the V8.

      🚙 Volkswagen’s CEO criticized flush door handles as “terrible to operate,” stating the automaker will not pursue that trend if it compromises customer experience.

      🏭 A raid at Hyundai’s U.S. factory brought to light the challenges posed by current administration policies on the auto industry and its workforce.

      🔌 The wireless charging setup for the Porsche Cayenne EV might carry a price tag of $8,000.

      🇨🇳 The Polestar 2 is no longer available in the U.S. due to Trump’s tariffs, the Polestar 4 did not launch for the same reason, and there is uncertainty about the Polestar 5’s availability since it is manufactured in China. Martin Rosenqvist, the vehicle program leader for the 5, mentioned it will be “super difficult to bring this car into the U.S. under the current circumstances.”

      😑 A cyber attack severely affected JLR, halting production and resulting in the loss of 40,000 vehicles, with their current location reported as unknown.

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