Tesla Model 3 secretly snagged by Hyundai for benchmarking

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Hyundai has been allegedly caught benchmarking a Tesla Model 3 by a Twitter user who rented the car out on Turo.

While Tesla is currently in a dominant position within the EV market of the United States, Hyundai hopes to change that in the coming years, and it has introduced a vast number of EVs to take on their American counterpart. Now, it has been discovered that Hyundai has benchmarked the Tesla Model 3 against the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 6.

The strange saga of the snagged Tesla Model 3 has been outlined in a series of tweets from the Twitter account FSD & Chill. The user describes lending out the Tesla Model 3 through Turo and discovering that it has been taken for testing by a Hyundai employee.

The discovery became apparent when the Tesla owner received numerous notifications that the car’s doors had been left open for an extended time, leading him to look at the live cameras on each side of the vehicle, only to find that it had been placed in what looks like an office building with Hyundai posters on many of the walls.

After looking through the vehicle’s cameras, the Tesla owner allegedly talked with the person they loaned their vehicle to, leading to the discovery that they were a Hyundai employee and the Tesla was being used for benchmarking purposes.

Hyundai was not immediately available to comment to Teslarati regarding the alleged benchmarking, though the imagery from the Model 3’s cameras does seem quite damning.

The Tesla owner notes that the Model 3 was measured and used to compare seating arrangements and its self-driving capabilities against a Hyundai IONIQ 6 sedan, which is hitting U.S. showrooms later this year.

It should be noted that benchmarking is nothing new to the automotive industry and is a key part of how the industry works to improve year over year. As automakers learn from their competitors’ designs, they can learn what works and what doesn’t, as well as what customers really want. This means the market is filled with better consumer offerings and a more competitive market that constantly strives to offer the best.

What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!

Tesla Model 3 secretly snagged by Hyundai for benchmarking

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Tesla offers Extended Service Agreement to select S3XY models

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Tesla is offering an Extended Service Agreement (ESA) to select S3XY models. The agreement extends specific coverage by up to 2 years or 25,000 miles. 

The following vehicles are eligible for the Extended Service Agreement. 

  • Model S vehicles produced between 2012 and 2020
  • Model X vehicles produced between 2015 and 2020
  • Model 3 vehicles
  • Model Y vehicles

Tesla S3XY owners can only purchase the ESA before their Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty expires. Tesla owners with eligible vehicles can purchase the Extended Service Agreement through the Tesla App or at a Service Center. 

The ESA covers the repair and replacement of parts needed to correct defects in materials or workmanship. It only covers parts manufactured or supplied by Tesla during the coverage period. However, Tesla’s lithium-ion battery and drive units are not subject to ESA coverage since they have a separate warranty. 

The Extended Service Agreement coverage begins a day after a Tesla owner’s Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty expires. Tesla clarified that the ESA is not a Maintenance Plan. In addition, the ESA does not extend everything in the Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty. Listed below are some items that the ESA does not cover. 

  • Consumable and maintenance parts, lke filters, liquids, batteries, brake pads. 
  • Suspension alignment
  • Appearance Care
  • Shock absorbers
  • Upholstery wear and tear
  • Wheels/tires. 

For more information, click here.

The Teslarati team would appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.

Tesla offers Extended Service Agreement to select S3XY models

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Tesla Model S Drag Strip Mode take center stage in new video

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The Tesla Model S may not sell in the same volumes as the more affordable Model 3 and Model Y, but it is still a special car nonetheless. This was highlighted recently by the electric vehicle maker in a new marketing video showcasing the Model S’ Drag Strip Mode. 

Drag Strip Mode allows drivers to take advantage of the Model S’ full capabilities to ensure that its launch happens as quickly as possible. In the case of the Model S Plaid, Drag Strip Mode helps the vehicle achieve a stunning 0-60 mph time of 1.99 seconds under optimal conditions. 

In its new video, which was posted on YouTube, Tesla noted that the Model S’ Drag Strip Mode is complemented by the vehicle’s Cheetah Stance, which ensures that the all-electric sedan does not lose traction when it launches off the line. These, together with a multitude of software optimizations, make the Model S a monster on the drag strip. 

Apart from its ridiculous acceleration, one of the things that make Teslas like the Model S Plaid frightening on the drag strip is their consistency. During a previous test by MotorTrend, the publication observed that the vehicle’s consistency was incredible, with variances in the Plaid’s drag strip performance largely due to factors that lie beyond the vehicle. 

“True to Tesla’s word, the Plaid is capable of posting those times consistently, never varying by more than a fraction of a second or so each time we rocketed down the strip. We’ve never tested a car so robotic in its consistency. The biggest differentiators we found between quicker and slower runs were mostly environmental, like rolling over a tar snake at the wrong time,” the publication wrote. 

While Tesla still does not adopt traditional advertising strategies, the company’s educational and in-depth marketing videos have received praise among electric vehicle enthusiasts online. They do, if any, hint at the serious work that Tesla puts into its vehicles.

Watch Tesla’s Model S Drag Strip marketing video below. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Tesla Model S Drag Strip Mode take center stage in new video

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