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Christiaan Hetzner

Christiaan Hetzner

Fortune

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Tesla sales crisis spreads to China as GigaShanghai plant volumes in April shrink for 7th straight month to lowest level in years

Cars sold from Tesla's Chinese factory fell 6% over the previous April to mark their lowest level since Shanghai entered lockdown over a new COVID...

yesterday 20

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Tesla’s EV rival Rivian warns Trump’s trade war means it will sell fewer of its American-made cars than expected

Rivian warned it will only deliver between 40,000 to 46,000 vehicles in 2025 after 51,600 last year, revising its earlier guidance. Capex spending...

previous day 7

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Amid its worst ever crisis, Tesla offers discounts on its best-selling car just weeks after new Model Y launch

Gone are the days when Tesla had to keep hiking prices to avoid being hopelessly swamped by demand. Now CEO Elon Musk has to fight for every new...

tuesday 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Trump proposes 100% tariff on foreign-made movies as he declares Hollywood critical to U.S. national security

Not only is it unclear how import duties could be levied on films and what criteria would apply, experts say, but the real risks may lie in...

05.05.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk’s European crisis deepens—initial April sales numbers prove devastating for Tesla 

Four key EV friendly European markets reported high double-digit drops in Tesla volumes in April with only Norway showing some improvement.

03.05.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Japan prepared to use its role as America’s largest creditor as leverage in Trump trade talks

No country holds more provable Treasury debt than Japan with roughly $1.1 trillion, equivalent to a quarter of its entire economy.

03.05.2025 30

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Donald Trump Jr. plans to open an exclusive new Beltway club dubbed ‘Executive Branch’ catering to the wealthy

The very name raises concerns it will sell access to the business and tech moguls looking to nurture relationships with the Trump administration.

30.04.2025 8

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Tesla director finally buys shares after more than 5 years—only to see his own board chair promptly sell $32 million in stock

Tesla chair Robyn Denholm has now liquidated roughly $150 million in shares since early December, dwarfing the $1 million open market purchase by...

30.04.2025 20

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Trump team signals rollback on some tariffs to reduce pain for suffering auto industry

The White House confirmed a report in the Wall Street Journal that automakers won't face additional tariffs for goods like steel and aluminum.

29.04.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

New York lawmakers are moving to shut down Elon Musk’s Tesla sales across the EV-friendly state

New York Democrats are hoping to push through a statewide bill that could strip CEO Elon Musk's Tesla of its right to sell cars directly to customers.

28.04.2025 30

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk’s robotaxi could be its final all-new EV: ‘The reality is in the future most people are not going to buy cars’

Tesla execs said new cars launching this year will just be more affordable derivatives of existing cars, dashing investor hopes for all new models.

23.04.2025 7

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

How Elon Musk reportedly staked Tesla’s future on robotaxis against the advice of his own senior management team

The Information revealed Musk didn't feel a compact EV was worthy of Tesla and opted for the CyberCab despite warnings it might not ever make money.

17.04.2025 2

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

‘China’s Elon Musk’ uses just two numbers to demonstrate why his country’s auto industry is now outcompeting the U.S. and Europe

He Xiaopeng used two numbers to describe the breakneck pace of EV innovation in China.

16.04.2025 5

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Mercedes-Benz just poached a top exec from Fortune 500 dealer group Lithia to run the brand’s U.S. sales operations

After a disappointing 2024, Mercedes is in the process of reshuffling its leadership team in key markets following the recent appointment of new...

16.04.2025 5

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Trump tariffs could prove nearly as harmful to U.S. auto market as Lehman collapse and COVID outbreak, warn S&P forecasters

In "one of the largest single-month changes" it has ever made to its forecast, S&P Global Mobility cut 700,000 cars from its annual U.S. sales...

15.04.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Goldman Sachs sees more room for gold to run higher, hiking its forecast for the precious metal due to growing recession risks

Donald Trump’s presidency has been a blessing for goldbugs now profiting from the uncertain economic outlook sparked by his administration’s trade...

14.04.2025 4

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Musk finally launches a new low-cost $70,000 Cybertruck—but Tesla fans and investors anticipate little demand

The new single-motor Cybertruck, expected to arrive as early as June, weighs in at a chunky $69,990 before any U.S. federal tax credits.

12.04.2025 5

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Trump tariffs backfire on Elon Musk, as Tesla pulls U.S.-built models from China

Tesla has stopped taking orders for the Model S and Model X in China, which now face retaliatory 125% import duties levied by Beijing.

12.04.2025 20

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk accused of rage quitting while live-streaming a video game after repeatedly dying and being mercilessly cyberbullied by viewers

The world's most influential entrepreneur was mercilessly jeered at by an online gaming audience still angry that he had so casually lied about...

10.04.2025 2

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Investor Bill Ackman pleads with Trump White House not to declare a ‘global economic war against the whole world at once’

The Pershing Square hedge fund manager urged the Trump administration to freeze tariff plans for 90 days to preven an 'economic nuclear winter'.

07.04.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

‘There will be blood’: JPMorgan raises recession risk to 60% as global stock market sell off continues

Trump's tariff increase could cost U.S. households $700 billion, the largest de facto tax hike since LBJ needed to finance the war in Vietnam.

04.04.2025 3

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Treasury Secretary Bessent blames Trump tariff sell-off in markets on deflating AI bubble: ‘That’s a Mag 7 problem, not a MAGA problem’

Bessent appears to be more interested in bringing down borrowing costs to stave off a potential sovereign debt doom loop than in the $1.5 trillion...

03.04.2025 6

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk’s Tesla surrenders EV sales crown to BYD after worst quarter in nearly three years

Tesla's EV deliveries fell 13% to 336,700 vehicles over Q1 of last year, far fewer than arch-rival BYD, as CEO Elon Musk's crisis deepens.

02.04.2025 30

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Trump team were still hashing out ‘Liberation Day’ tariff plans 24 hours before the announcement

The White House said Trump was still “with his trade and tariff team perfecting it to make sure this is a perfect deal for the American people".

02.04.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

The mastermind behind Europe’s hottest new car brand is leaving Volkswagen in a shock departure

Wayne Griffiths, CEO of Volkswagen’s Spanish subsidiary SEAT and father of the Cupra brand, stepped down at his own request “to pursue new...

02.04.2025 6

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Trump suggests Elon Musk’s DOGE could be shut down long before its expected closing date

DOGE may end after only 130 days, well before schedule, as Musk's work at DOGE has become increasingly unpopular among some of the president's...

01.04.2025 4

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Goldman Sachs now sees much higher odds of economy shrinking, hiking probability of a U.S. recession to 35%

Goldman believes the tax-like impact on real disposable income and consumer spending from Trump's tariff policies will hurt U.S. growth prospects.

31.03.2025 20

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Trump warns U.S. carmakers not to take advantage of tariffs by hiking prices on consumers

The Trump administration believes auto execs could be tempted to use the tariffs as cover to push through their own hefty price hikes without risking...

29.03.2025 60

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Warned car tariffs will cost Americans $100 billion, but Trump White House won’t budge — ‘We must become a manufacturing powerhouse’

The Trump administration argues tariffs will help it rebuild an industrial base the U.S. squandered over decades through the wrong trade policies.

28.03.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk warns effect from Trump tariffs is ‘not trivial’ for Tesla

Anywhere from 20% to 25% of a Tesla's value in dollar terms originates from components sourced in Mexico, according to official U.S. data.

27.03.2025 8

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

‘Snow White’ producer’s son defends his dad reprimanding star Rachel Zegler over ‘immature desires’ that ‘hurt the film’s box office’

Snow White's producer flew to 'reprimand' Zegler for posting "Free Palestine" on her social media account.

27.03.2025 20

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Canada investigates whether Tesla wrongfully helped itself to a subsidy-fueled sales boom

Tesla sold the equivalent of about 18% of its annual volumes in Canada in just three days across four stores with the help of $30 million in...

26.03.2025 2

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Warren Buffett can finally give away his $1 million March Madness prize after winner bested mathematical odds of 1 in 134 million

An employee from Berkshire Hathaway's pilot training company FlightSafety International had a near flawless record guessing NCAA men's college...

25.03.2025 2

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Tesla’s monthly sales slump 40% across Europe, new data shows, but the worst may finally be over

Tesla's share of Europe's EV market more than halved to just 10% in February, but last month likely marked the worst for the brand as the newer Model...

25.03.2025 7

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Snow White built Disney into entertainment powerhouse, now its remake risks becoming a culture war casualty and its biggest flop

Its $43 million domestic box office fell well below initial projections amid 'Seven Kajillion Controversies" that mired the live-action musical...

24.03.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Tesla investors at a loss as Elon Musk drags down stock price: ‘This time it feels different’

Tesla finds itself in uncharted territory, now that it appears to have lost its aura of infallibility, leaving punters in the dark about its outlook.

23.03.2025 30

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Apple is reportedly willing to lose $1 billion every year just to fuel its streaming ambitions

Unlike other peers, the streaming service's small library focuses almost exclusively on original content like Severance and Ted Lasso.

22.03.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Scared Tesla owners are petitioning Elon Musk to add a feature that would warn off vandals as more cars are set on fire

Owners worry they are being targeted due to anger over CEO Elon Musk's involvement in the Trump administration: "There definitely is fear right now."

19.03.2025 20

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Mercedes takes biggest swing yet at Elon Musk’s Tesla as it unveils new CLA with 492-mile range

The new Mercedes CLA compact sedan can drive up to 792 kilometers in one go and recharge nearly half its battery in ten minutes. It even has a frunk.

18.03.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Teslas are getting torched in Berlin as surveys show Germans are deserting Elon Musk’s carmaker in droves

Surveys conducted by Caliber and T-Online both show a sharp drop in favorability for Tesla among Germans.

17.03.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk’s Tesla reportedly halts Cybertruck deliveries as owners complain of metal sides falling off

It comes amid numerous instances of build quality issues with the Cybertruck and marks the latest problem plaguing the once promising vehicle.

14.03.2025 3

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Tesla’s fall from grace may have no equal, says JPMorgan: ‘We struggle to think of anything analogous’

Amid a historic backlash against Tesla, the bank slashed its Q1 delivery forecast to just 355,000 vehicles and reduced its price target to $120 per...

13.03.2025 2

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Morgan Stanley’s auto analyst polls his clients on what they think of Elon Musk—the results make for grim reading

An informal survey found that 85% believed Musk's political activism either had a "negative" or "extremely negative" effect on Tesla's business.

13.03.2025 2

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk pledges to double Tesla car production in U.S. in bid to boost Trump’s fortunes—and his own

Markets are losing faith in Trump's administration amid escalating trade wars and government cost-cutting that might be doing more harm than good.

12.03.2025 3

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk confidant James Murdoch becomes the latest Tesla insider to sell, cashing in $13 million amid the historic single-day plunge

The estranged son of Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch exercised some of his stock options, contributing to the worst single-day loss for Tesla...

12.03.2025 2

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Vandalize Tesla property and the White House will prosecute you as a domestic terrorist, Trump pledges

The White House could bring the full force of the U.S. government to bear on anti-Elon Musk protestors found to have destroyed his carmaker's assets.

12.03.2025 40

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk claims anti-Tesla protests are being astroturfed by Democratic megadonors George Soros and Reid Hoffman

Hoffman denied the claim as another smear from a delusional man searching for a scapegoat: “I never funded anyone for Tesla protests.”

11.03.2025 10

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

‘Trumpcession’ fears spike after Trump refuses to promise economic growth will continue

Asked about the threat of a recession this year, President Trump warned there would be a “period of transition” as he renegotiates trade...

10.03.2025 2

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Volkswagen’s ID EVs faltered in the U.S.—now it’s banking on a revived American brand

As EV sales cool, VW looks to defunct brand Scout for U.S. growth.

07.03.2025 6

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner

Elon Musk’s Tesla targeted by arsonists on both sides of Atlantic in a string of ongoing attacks

A pattern of recent arson attacks on Tesla property appear related to CEO Elon Musk's polarizing brand of politics.

05.03.2025 40

Fortune

Christiaan Hetzner