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Austin, TX

Tesla teases new vehicle in latest earnings report

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Tesla teases new vehicle in latest earnings report


Tesla’s next generation vehicle will be made in Austin, the company announced Wednesday.

The Austin-based company, which shared its fourth quarter 2023 earnings report Wednesday, teased that it would be making its next vehicle platform in Austin, but gave little detail beyond that.

The company listed the vehicle as “in development” in the earnings report but disclosed no real details on the vehicle itself, including what the price points, name or vehicle type would be. Tesla also did not mention a timeline for its launch.

“We are focused on bringing the next generation platform to market as quickly as we can, with the plan to start production at Gigafactory Texas,” Tesla said in the report. “This platform will revolutionize how vehicles are manufactured.”

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On a call with investors Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk said more details on the platform will come later.

“Perhaps the most important competitive characteristic for Tesla in the future will be manufacturing technology and you will really see that come to bear with our next gen vehicle,” Musk said. “The first manufacturing location for this will be at our gigafactory and headquarters in Austin, Texas and then we will follow that up with other locations around the world.”

Tesla also warned that its growth rate “may be notably lower” in 2024 as it works towards launching the vehicle. In the report Tesla noted it is “currently between two major growth waves,” saying the next wave could be driven by its next-generation vehicle platform.

The warning came as competition in the electric vehicle market heats up. Chinese automaker BYD was the world’s largest seller of electric vehicles in the fourth quarter, unseating Tesla for the first time, according to a report by Reuters. During the fourth quarter BYD sold 526,000 vehicles compared to Tesla’s 485,000. However, Tesla still made the most electric vehicles overall in 2023.

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The company also listed its second-generation Roadster sports car as “in development” on its earnings report. The new version, a successor to a limited production vehicle originally made from 2008 to 2012, has delayed production multiple times, but is available to reserve on Tesla’s website for an initial $50,000 reservation.

The new platform announcement follows a Wednesday morning report from Reuters that said Tesla was working on producing a new mass market electric vehicle codenamed “Redwood” in mid-2025. The report, which cited sources familiar with the matter, said the vehicle could be a compact crossover and production could begin in July 2025.

Musk has previously promised the company would work on more affordable electric vehicles, including a sub-$25,000 vehicle and self-driving robotaxis, which have yet to come to fruition.

Musk confirmed on the investor call the company expects to start production in the second half of 2025, but noted he is typically optimistic about timelines and it would include a lot of new “revolutionary” manufacturing technology.

Musk added that he wants the vehicles to start production in Austin because it “will be a challenging ramp,” and likely will have engineers sleeping and “living” on the production line to make it possible. 

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“We really need engineers to be living on the line,” Musk said. “This is not the sort of ‘off the shelf, just works’ sort of thing. I am confident that once it is going it will be head and shoulders above any other manufacturing technology that exists in the world.” 

The company most recently released a new vehicle late last year when it delivered its first handful of its long-anticipated Cybertrucks. In its earnings report Tesla said it has ramped up capacity to build over 125,000 Cybertrucks a year in Austin.

The company noted in the earnings report it expects the production ramp up to be longer than other vehicles because of Cybertrucks’ “manufacturing complexity.” CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly warned of difficulties scaling up production for the vehicle and the company has not said how many it initially delivered nor how many it expects to in 2024.

Tesla also produces Model Y vehicles and batteries at its Austin gigafactory, Giga Texas. In the report Tesla said in now has capacity to produce 375,000 Model Y SUVs a year in Austin.

Tesla shares fell about 3% after hours as the company missed Wall Street expectations with the company reporting revenue of $25.17 billion in the fourth quarter, compared to the $25.6 billion expected by FactSet analysts. The revenue was a 3% increase overall from the same time last year.

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The company had already released its fourth quarter and full year delivery and production numbers earlier this month, reporting that it delivered 1.8 million vehicles in 2023 including 485,000 in the fourth quarter. Deliveries are Tesla’s closest approximation to vehicle sales.

The earning’s report also comes as Musk demanded more control of Tesla this month if the company is to be a leader in AI or robotics. The CEO, who already has a number of other companies including SpaceX, xAI, Neuralink and The Boring Company, said he would rather focus on building products at another company if he doesn’t get his way.



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Austin, TX

Will the rest of Austin allergies seasons be as bad as cedar this year?

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Will the rest of Austin allergies seasons be as bad as cedar this year?


Austin had a particularly itchy and drippy cedar fever season to start the year. Many winter days, from late December into February, had high or very high ashe juniper (aka cedar) pollen counts. 

Central Texas has a year-round allergy season with mold popping up at any time. For the more traditional spring and fall allergy seasons, forecasters at AccuWeather are predicting some of the allergens across the country will be worse this year than average. 

Texas, though, is a different story.

For grass allergies, which happen now through September, AccuWeather estimates Austin will have an average season. However, just west of the Interstate 35 corridor in the Hill Country to almost El Paso, that season is expected to be worse than normal. 

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“Texas may experience above-average grass pollen for a few weeks,” AccuWeather’s allergy report said, “though the season could be shorter-lived compared to northern areas.” 

It all depends on the weather

How much rain we get in the next six months and the perennial Texas heat will all affect the growing season for grasses and weeds, as well as the amount of pollen trees produce. The Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmers Almanac are both predicting a wetter and warmer spring.

Rain helps plants grow, which can increase pollen production over time. However, rainfall during allergy season can also bring temporary relief by washing pollen out of the air. That’s what we’re expecting this weekend, with our first meaningful rain chance in nearly three weeks. Tree and weed pollen levels might briefly drop, but mold could spike because it thrives in damp, humid weather. 

If spring continues with excessive heat like we saw in February, it could limit the growth of some plants and trees. Extreme heat can reduce how much they grow, and how much pollen they produce. On the other hand, if we get a healthy balance of rain and only slightly above-normal temperatures — not extreme heat — pollen counts could climb. That’s especially true as we head into April, typically our windiest month of the year, which helps spread pollen more easily.

How can you treat allergies in Austin?

If you are feeling the effects of allergies, here are some things you can do to lessen them: 

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  • Start taking allergy medication at least two weeks before your allergen’s season is supposed to start. Keep taking your allergy medication throughout your allergen’s season, even on low-pollen days.
  • Vary your allergy medication. You can take a nasal spray, an eye drop and an oral antihistamine at the same time to treat the different symptoms. If one kind of allergy medication isn’t working, consult your doctor about whether you should add a second one or switch out the medication. 
  • Take a shower before going to bed.
  • Take off outside clothes or shoes when you get into the house.
  • Do a daily nasal wash such as a neti pot or saline spray.
  • Consider seeing an allergist to get drops or shots to lessen your reaction to the allergen. 

Consider these household tips to improve your chances of keeping allergens away:

  • Change the filters in your house regularly during cedar fever season.
  • Vacuum and sweep regularly. 
  • Change your sheets, especially your pillow regularly. 
  • Keep doors and windows closed.
  • Clean out the vents in your home.
  • Have your home tested for indoor allergens such as mold.
  • Wash and brush the animals in your house to lessen the amount of allergens in the air. 
  • Wear a mask outside or inside while you are trying to lessen the pollen or mold indoors.



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Texas Primary: Breakdown of Texas races

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Texas Primary: Breakdown of Texas races


Democrats tried to stop a mid-decade redistricting effort, but were unsuccessful. Now, we are starting to see some of the candidates emerging in those newly drawn districts. FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski gives a full breakdown.



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Austin, TX

Remembering Jorge Pederson: Minnesota MMA fighter killed in Austin, Texas, shooting

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Remembering Jorge Pederson: Minnesota MMA fighter killed in Austin, Texas, shooting


ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – A shooting on West Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, early Sunday morning, killed three people and injured more than a dozen others, according to the Austin Police Department. APD confirmed one of the victims was 30-year-old Jorge Pederson, a Minnesota man who worked as an MMA fighter for the Med City Fighting Championships.

“You meet tons of fighters and there are people that stand above the rest that you find you enjoy or find the most amusing,” MCFC Co-Owner Matthew Vogt said. “He was definitely one of them.”

According to Vogt, Pederson was also the owner of a Minnesota business called Metro Movers. Vogt said the MMA competitor touched everyone’s hearts since his first day of fighting professionally in Rochester.

“As soon as we met him when it was the weighing time, we just loved the guy already because he had a great mission or spirit about him,” Vogt said. “He was a funny guy and great fighter.”

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Vogt told KTTC when he first saw the news that Pederson was killed, he could not believe what he saw.

“I was looking, like, ‘Wait a minute. Is this one of his shenanigans or did something actually happen there?’” Vogt said, recalling the moment he saw a social media post regarding the shooting in Austin. “I confirmed with a few people and I’m just like, sometimes, some things happen that you don’t even like, you don’t even know how to respond to it because it’s just so out of left field that you don’t immediately have a response to it.”

MCFC confirmed there is an online fundraiser dedicated to supporting Pederson’s family. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than $10,000 has been raised.

“He was someone that always could make anybody laugh,” Vogt said. “Support his family through the fundraiser and take a look at his Instagram especially to see how funny he was.”

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