Elon Musk Fuels SpaceX-Tesla Merger Speculation After Earnings Call 
SpaceX Q2 Earnings on Aug. 4 Set Stage for Historic Insider Share Unlock 
IBM Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates as Software Growth Offsets Infrastructure Weakness 
Lockheed Martin Unveils Lower-Cost Patriot ACE Interceptor to Meet Rising Air Defense Demand 
GE Vernova Q2 Revenue Tops Estimates as Earnings Miss, Shares Slide Despite Higher 2026 Outlook 
Morgan Stanley Downgrades Adobe, Workday as AI Transition Raises Growth Concerns 
Domino’s Weighs Appeal After Australian Court Rules Workers Were Misled on Pay 
Scandinavian Tobacco Group Sells BREAK and Moro Brands to Japan Tobacco for €176 Million 
ASML Trillion-Dollar Valuation: Can Europe’s AI Chip Giant Reach the Historic Milestone? 
Intel, AMD Seek Long-Term China Server CPU Deals as AI Demand Drives Supply Crunch 
SpaceX Eyes Pentagon AI Deal as Cloud Pricing Strategy Pressures CoreWeave 
Wistron Opens $700M Texas AI Factory to Build Nvidia Superchips in U.S. 
Trump Administration Monitors OpenAI Incident as Lawmakers Push AI Kill Switch Bill 
Rubio Rejects AI ‘Kill Switch’ Claims as U.S. Defends American Technology Abroad 
Macquarie Names Greg Ward as CEO, Signaling Stability and Strategic Continuity 
Samsung Cuts U.S. Consumer Electronics Jobs as Headquarters Moves to Texas 
SpaceX Targets Thursday Launch for Starship's 13th Test Flight After Last-Minute Delay 
A camouflaged Tesla Model 3 prototype, potentially signaling Tesla’s rumored $25,000 electric vehicle, was spotted in California. The sighting has reignited speculation about Tesla’s push to dominate the affordable EV market.
Tesla Prototype Spotted in California Could Be Budget EV
Someone in California noticed a new, intriguing-looking Tesla Model 3 prototype being tested on the streets. Could that be one of Tesla's planned low-cost electric vehicles?
Camouflaged Tesla Spotted Near Daly City
Near Daly City in the Bay Area of California, Reddit user Jacknv saw the car on the 280 South.
According to Jack, the hidden Model 3 prototype shares certain design cues with last year's Model 3 refresh from Tesla, but its front end is more reminiscent of the model from before the refresh:
Design Changes Hint at Budget Model
The sighting doesn't provide a lot of information because, in part, it's camouflaged. While Tesla has long avoided utilizing this style of camouflage, it has been spotted using it more recently. The design is more typical of automobile prototypes.
Considering the recent refresh of the Model 3, it is highly doubtful that there is already another refresh in the works, according to Electrek. But they are also aware that Tesla is planning to update the Model Y soon. It's conceivable that Tesla chose to update the Model 3 with some features originally planned for the Model Y.
Tesla’s EV Update Strategy Under Scrutiny
However, according to the publication, there is another theory that may be more reasonable.
Elon Musk scrapped two major vehicle projects that were to have used Tesla's new unboxed vehicle platform to create more affordable electric vehicles. Robotaxis were supposed to be the center of attention, and rumor has it that two new models based on Model 3 and Model Y will be replacing the vehicles.
Affordable Electric Vehicles on the Horizon?
These cars are expected to be more affordable compared to the Model 3 and Model Y. They will incorporate some of the technology developed for the next-generation platform while remaining similar enough to the current lineup to be manufactured using Tesla's current assembly lines.
Hence, it's plausible that what we're witnessing is actually a disguised version of one of those vehicles.
