China bans Teslas from military bases Microchip shortage affects Ford F-150 production

Chinese military authorities have banned Tesla’s electric vehicles from being driven on Chinese military installations. The reason is a concern that cameras in the cars could be used for spying. Thirty percent of Tesla’s sales last year took place in China. Individuals driving a Tesla and planning to visit military installations in China must park their vehicles outside the boundaries of the facilities.

This action by Chinese authorities prompted Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, to issue a comment several days after the ban was announced. He denied the cars would be used for spying and said in a panel discussion said that, “If Tesla used cars to spy in China, or anywhere, we will get shut down.”

A shortage of microchips has slowed or even stopped vehicle production by a variety of automakers, including Ford. Among its models that have seen a shortage of needed electronic parts are the Edge SUV and the F-150 pickup, which happens to be Ford’s best selling and most pro�itable vehicle. Ford, however, had continued producing the trucks without the needed modules, storing them while awaiting the arrival of missing parts.

Tesla doing well

As Connecticut’s legislature is considering, once again, legislation that would allow Tesla and other makers of electric vehicles to sell directly to Connecticut’s car buyers without having to channel the sales through dealers, Experian pointed to the inroads Tesla is making nationally. In collaboration with Automotive News, Experian reported that in 2020, Tesla accounted for 79 percent of battery electric vehicle sales in the

United States. The publication goes on to report that in January of this year, Experian numbers show that Tesla had an 18 percent increase in new vehicle registrations when compared to the results of January 2020. From November of 2020 though January 2021 registrations were up 45 percent. Tesla’s 2020 performance allowed it to displace Audi from fourth place in luxury vehicle sales.

The report also notes that Tesla owners are more loyal than the owners of any other vehicle brand with a 78 percent loyalty score. Owners of vehicles from General Motors were next, at 76.6 percent, while the overall average for the industry was 68.7 percent.

Currently, Tesla buyers in Connecticut usually take delivery of their cars from Tesla’s Mt. Kisco, New York location.