Elon Musk may be the wealthiest person in the world, but it appears his money hasn't bought him smooth dance moves.
The Tesla chief executive got his groove on as the company opened its new gigafactory in Germany, the electric car maker's first manufacturing plant in Europe.
"Tesla will make sure this is a gemstone for the area, for Germany, for Europe and for the world," he said at the opening as the first 30 Model Y vehicles rolled out amid cheering and loud music, in front of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"This is a great day for the factory," Mr Musk said, adding that it is "another step in the direction of a sustainable future".
Mr Musk's celebratory dance moves were also seen in China back in 2020, when the first Model 3 cars were delivered at the company's Shanghai factory.
Until now, Tesla has been dependent on its Chinese site to produce Model Y cars for customers in Europe.
The German plant opening comes as Mr Musk has flagged a "master plan part 3" for Tesla, which, he said, will map out scaling the company to an "extreme size".
With plans to hire 12,000 workers, the German gigafactory and adjacent battery plant will become the biggest employer in the German state of Brandenburg, where it is based.
At full capacity, it will produce 500,000 cars annually — more than the 450,000 battery-electric vehicles that main rival Volkswagen sold globally in 2021 — and generate 50 gigawatt hours of battery power, surpassing all other plants in the country.
Tesla said that new orders of the $70,500 Model Y from the plant could be delivered from April. The car has a range of 514km.
The company's shares ended up 7.9 per cent on Tuesday, at their highest level in more than two months.
Mr Musk also announced at the factory opening that Tesla is likely to launch a test version of its new full self-driving software in Europe, possibly next year, depending on regulatory approval.
"It's quite difficult to do full self-driving in Europe" due to the tricky driving situation in the region where roads vary a lot by country, he said.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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