After dominating the start of the year, Tesla (TSLA) – Get the Tesla Inc report and Elon Musk are equally determined to grab headlines in the second quarter, which is just getting started.
The premium electric vehicle maker and its whimsical CEO aren’t just planning to take all the media space. They also want to send a message to the rest of the auto industry and the wider business community: it’s their world, and we just live in it.
Elon Musk is due to inaugurate the Tesla factory in Austin, Texas, this Thursday, April 7. This plant will be the electric vehicle manufacturer’s fourth production site after Fremont in California, Shanghai in China and Berlin in Germany.
It will be dedicated to the production of the Model Y electric SUV, whose base price starts at $62,990. The Model Y and the Model 3 sedan are Tesla’s two best-selling models.
Together, they represent more than 95% of the 310,048 vehicles Tesla delivered in the first quarter. In Austin, which has become Tesla’s headquarters since December, the company will also have a battery factory.
Musk and Tesla have decided to make the Austin Ribbon Cutting a global event. They will notably take up the concept of a “Gigafest”, which they tested for the first time in Berlin last October.
But this time it will be the biggest party ever on Earth, the tech mogul promised.
Customers must follow many rules
The event, dubbed the “Cyber Rodeo,” is a mix of local rodeo culture and a nod to the Cybertruck, the futuristic vehicle Musk unveiled in 2019 but whose production has been repeatedly postponed.
“This could literally be the biggest party on Earth,” Musk recently told his more than 80.6 million Twitter followers, in response to an invitation request from a cybersecurity firm.
“@elonmusk is worth at least a few tickets to a gig opening? We’re in Austin too. We’re working to make the world safer and more secure,” Praetorian Labs employees asked the tycoon last week.
The billionaire didn’t say what would make it the biggest party Earth has ever seen, but it certainly raised expectations.
According to the first details provided by Tesla, the 15,000 invitees to the invitation-only event must follow specific rules, many of which are not much different from other festive events.
For example, the following items are prohibited:
-Devices for smoking and vaping
– Any professional audio/video recording equipment
– Pets
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– Drones or any other remote flying device
– Firearms, weapons or explosives of any kind
– Illegal substances of any kind
There are, however, a few unique rules, perhaps to celebrate the achievements of the Tesla brand.
Only adults
“The event is for adults only,” Tesla said, without providing further details.
This curious rule surprised some Tesla customers, who thought they were going to share their passion for the company and its goals with their families at the event.
It also surprised many commenters on Twitter, Musk’s favorite social network and main communication platform – and of which he is now the majority shareholder.
Others have tried to find a logical explanation for this rule, and wondered if it was related to the fact that Tesla also forbids bringing alcohol to the event.
“I was saddened to find out about the age limit, but I guess because of the alcohol,” one user speculated.
“Why is this adults only?🤔” another commented.
Tesla offered no explanation. Will there be shows and attractions planned for adults only? The company also doesn’t say what it considers “adult”: is an 18-year-old considered an adult or should they be 21?
The other rule that makes social media users smile is that Tesla and Musk prohibit guests from bringing alcohol, prohibiting “any food or drink (including alcohol) of any kind.”
Here too, speculation is rife: does this mean that they will provide alcohol to the guests, or that there will simply be no alcohol at the party?
All of this goes to show that while Musk and Tesla thought they were providing information to guests, they instead raised more questions.
The event is billed as a single day, between 4 p.m. and 11:29 p.m. local time. It will include interactive tours accompanied by food and various live entertainment to celebrate the newly built and operational Gigafactory.
“Gigafest” or “Cyber Rodeo” helps create mythos around the Tesla brand – and it complements the idea that one of Musk’s great skills is making it look like when you’re driving in a Tesla, you live a unique experience.