The Sydney Morning Herald logo

Tesla

Advertisement
A video of Tesla FSD in action, uploaded by Victorian-based YouTuber Ryan Cowan.

Tesla sold ‘self-driving’ software for $10,000. Now it faces a legal fight

Tesla faces legal battles alleging it charged Australian customers for its self-driving software despite their cars being incapable of using the feature.

  • Elias Visontay

Latest

A video of Tesla FSD uploaded by YouTuber Ryan Cowan.

‘You can tell I’m not steering’: Self-driving Teslas hit Australian roads

Tesla drivers rave about automated driving, but the car’s technology still struggles with roundabouts and hook turns.

  • Elias Visontay
Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena following President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Queensland Tesla registrations in free-fall, as Musk embraces far-right

New data has revealed a sharp reversal in Tesla’s fortunes in Queensland, with the slump attributed to a combination of market saturation and political fallout.

  • Cameron Atfield
A hidden door handle on a Tesla.

‘It’s on fire’: Tesla sued over trapped driver as safety concerns grow

Days after China banned electric car doors, a US lawsuit alleged a 20-year-old Tesla driver pleaded for help to escape moments before he died.

  • Elias Visontay, Dana Hull and Madlin Mekelburg
Callan Root bought his Tesla in December. China has just announced sales of cars with hidden door handles, like those on Teslas, will be banned from January due to safety concerns over not being able to open the door in the event of an accident. Wednesday 4th February 2026. Photo: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Chinese ban on Tesla-style door handles likely to flow through to Australia

Chinese authorities have announced a ban on new vehicles being sold with hidden, electronically reliant door handles, amid concerns that they trap occupants.

  • Elias Visontay
Elon Musk is known for his outlandish plans.

Why Elon Musk just created a $1.8 trillion space monster

Elon Musk has always had a remarkable capacity to convince investors to help pay for his fantastical dreams.

  • Stephen Bartholomeusz
Advertisement
Amazon’s decision to cut jobs spooked those investors who worried that the cost-cutting exercise was needed to raise mega funds for AI.

Robots, redundancies and runaway spending: Not all AI hits the mark

Amazon’s decision to cut jobs spooked investors who worried that cost-cutting was needed to raise funds for AI.

  • Elizabeth Knight
South Australia’s renewables transformation is world-leading.

The SA miracle: How one Australian state leads the world on renewables

Hard work and “really good wind” have helped South Australia become a world leader on renewables. But the state is determined to go further.

  • Nick O'Malley and Bianca Hall
Tesla sales fell 9 per cent in 2025.

Tesla loses title as world’s biggest EV maker as sales fall for second year

The car maker’s sales fell 9 per cent in 2025, but investors seem unfazed as the company pivots to new products.

  • Paul Harloff and Bernard Condon
Shares in the world’s most valuable auto company soared in the second half, largely on the basis of its chief executive officer touting advances in artificial intelligence and robotics.

Tesla’s outlook darkens as BYD lifts global sales

Tesla ended last year on a roll, with investors increasingly buying into Elon Musk’s ebullience about autonomous vehicles. Winning over actual car buyers is another story.

  • Kara Carlson, Linda Lew, Danny Lee and Bei Hu