Update: Well, that didn’t take long. After we first reported on the image you see here, TechCrunch spoke with a “person with direct knowledge of Slate Auto’s vehicle design,” who confirmed—on the condition of anonymity—that the truck is “likely one of the concept vehicles the startup has created to show to potential investors” at its design center in Long Beach, California. Original story follows below.

A mysterious electric pickup truck has sparked curiosity online after a photo surfaced of a camouflaged two-door truck being offloaded from a flatbed in Los Angeles. The timing couldn’t be more interesting: news also broke that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is quietly backing a Michigan-based EV startup called Slate Auto, which claims it’s developing a $25,000 electric model in the form of a compact, two-door pickup.

More: Jeff Bezos Secretly Backs EV Maker Building A $25K Pickup For The Masses

The image, posted to Reddit by user Discostranger09, shows the pickup truck being unloaded from a shipping container just outside their office. The flatbed truck is marked with the name “Time Towing LLC,” though there may be an additional word obscured at the front of the logo. The original poster didn’t offer much more than that, though commentators said the photo was likely taken somewhere in Los Angeles.

From what’s visible, the vehicle looks like a mashup of an older Range Rover and a Jeep Renegade—boxy, upright, and unapologetically stubby. The absence of a grille opening at the front suggests its electric, reinforced by what appears to be a charging port near the rear corner. A quick image search doesn’t match it to anything currently on the market, though admittedly, that’s far from definitive.

Is This Slate Auto’s First Prototype?

Naturally, Redditors were quick to speculate. The most popular theory is that this mystery truck is Slate Auto’s debut model, possibly caught during testing or transport. Others floated ideas ranging from a Rivian prototype to a one-off custom build, though no solid evidence has surfaced to support any theory just yet.

What We Know About Slate Auto

Slate Auto remains mostly under wraps, with limited information available beyond a recent TechCrunch report. According to that story, the company was quietly formed in 2022 as a spinout of Bezos’ investment in Re:Build Manufacturing. Since then, it’s been building out its team in Detroit, recruiting talent from legacy automakers like Ford, GM, and Stellantis, as well as from floundering EV startups such as Fisker and Canoo. Their goal? A $25,000, two-door, two-seat electric pickup aimed at a late 2026 release.

While Slate Auto hasn’t confirmed anything about the vehicle, they’ve announced that more news is coming on April 23. Whether that will include a formal reveal or just more corporate breadcrumbs remains to be seen.

In the meantime, we’ll keep digging to see what else we can uncover about the truck in question. If you recognize it—or if you’re the one who built it in your garage over a long weekend—drop us a line.

Photo discostranger09/Reddit

Tesla’s Q1 2025 results are in, and let’s just say, the shine appears to be wearing off. The once-dominant EV leader is starting to show cracks, with numbers that point to deeper issues than just a temporary slowdown.

More: Canada Halts Musk’s $43M Tesla EV Rebate Claim After Rapid-Fire Sales, Bans Future Subsidies

The company reported 336,681 deliveries for the first quarter, a sharp 13 percent drop compared to the same period last year, when it moved 386,810 vehicles. Production figures didn’t look much better: Tesla built 362,615 vehicles in Q1 2025, down from 433,371 a year ago. Overall, it’s a significantly weaker performance than most investors had anticipated, with expectations generally falling between 360,000 and 380,000 deliveries.

Tesla doesn’t break out its numbers by model or region, but it did confirm that 345,454 of those produced were its core breadwinners—the Model 3 and Model Y. Of those, 323,800 made it into customer hands between January and March. That leaves just 12,881 deliveries accounted for by the Cybertruck, Model X, and Model S combined.

Public Backlash and Product Gaps Hit Hard

Part of the drop could be circumstantial. Over the quarter, Tesla faced mounting protests, boycotts, and acts of vandalism targeting showrooms, vehicles, and charging stations around the world, from 80 EVs set on fire in Canada to widespread defacement of Cybertrucks across the USA.

The common denominator? CEO Elon Musk’s political antics and headline-grabbing behavior, including his involvement with DOGE, ties to the Trump administration, and a widely criticized gesture perceived as a Nazi salute, which continue to fuel controversy and alienate broad segments of the market.

On the product side, there’s also the Model Y handoff to blame. Tesla is in the process of phasing out the current version of its best-seller in favor of the facelifted Juniper model. The refreshed version went on sale in China in late January and began reaching markets like Australia and Europe by late February. But the rollout has been piecemeal, as non-limited editions haven’t even made it to North America yet. Worse, Tesla has been out of stock of the old Model Y here in the States for a few weeks now, so that undoubtedly hurt its sales figures.

Stock Drops After Weak Q1 Performance

These lackluster delivery numbers follow a punishing stretch for Tesla’s stock. The company just posted its worst quarterly performance since 2022, shedding 31 percent of its value since the start of the year.

The stock had been riding high on Musk’s alignment with Trump, peaking at $428 on January 15, just days before Trump’s inauguration on January 20. But that momentum evaporated quickly. Following the quarterly results announcement, Tesla shares briefly dropped 13 percent to $256.58 before rebounding slightly to $263 at the time of publishing, down from about $268 the previous day.

TESLA Q1 2025

Turns out Americans still like their muscle cars loud, angry, and slightly outdated. While Dodge is trying to nudge its performance lineup into the electric era, the early numbers show many buyers are in no rush to give up their V8s—or even their V6s. In the first quarter, more people bought the long-discontinued Challengers and Chargers over the shiny new Daytona EV, which says a lot about where Dodge buyers’ heads are.

More: Thousands Of V8 Challengers And Chargers Sitting On Dodge Dealer Lots A Year After Production Ended

From January through March, Dodge sold 1,947 units of the Charger Daytona EV. That might sound decent until you realize they moved 1,052 of the last-generation ICE Charger and 922 Challengers in the same period. Combined, that’s 1,974 old-school muscle cars—just edging out the Daytona EV.

To be fair, that’s two body styles against one, but the comparison still stings considering these vehicles are museum pieces at this point. The Charger traces its roots back to 2005 and the Challenger to 2008, and both were officially discontinued at the end of 2023.

It’s not just that the Charger Daytona EV was outsold by the old duo, it’s also that 1,947 units nationwide in three months works out to just 22 cars per day. Compare that to Ford, which moved 9,377 Mustangs in the same period, even while facing a 32% drop in sales year-over-year. If that’s not painful enough, we’ll remind you that Dodge sold 9,737 Challengers in Q1 2024. That’s more than five times the sales of the new EV this year.

Inventory Hangover

Speaking of discontinued, Dodge is still sitting on a surprising number of 2023 Chargers and Challengers. An inventory check shows 657 Chargers and 691 Challengers still listed for sale across the country. The fact that these cars are still clogging up lots 15 months after production ended suggests that while nostalgia sells, it might not sell fast.

More: Gas Mustang Sales Crash 32% In Q1 But Mach-E And Bronco Are Killing It

Dodge is banking on new additions to the Charger Daytona lineup to help turn things around. The upcoming four-door version, along with new internal combustion variants powered by an inline-six, could give the brand more traction with traditional muscle car buyers. But for now, the numbers aren’t encouraging.

A Disastrous Quarter All Around

Overall, it was a rough quarter for Dodge. The brand’s total sales nosedived from 42,948 units in Q1 2024 to just 21,731 this quarter marking a 49% drop. Every model in the lineup took a hit. The Hornet was down 45%, totaling 4,108 units, while the aging Durango saw a 9% dip, settling at 13,701 units.

DODGE SALE USA Q1 2025

Well, it was inevitable. The first crashed 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona, or at least the first one we know about since customers started getting their hands on them, has made its appearance online. And because the universe has a sense of humor, it’s already up for sale. If you’re one of those people who loves a good gamble and prefers your vehicles with a touch of “character,” this is your lucky day.

More: Someone Already Crashed A 2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper After Only 197 Miles

This particular wreck is a 2024 Charger Daytona R/T, which is the base model starting at $59,595, before you start adding options like the $595 Demonic Red seats this one comes with, or deducting the sweet discounts running up to $21,000 some dealers are offering just to move these things off the lot.

Being an R/T, it features a 93.9-kWh nickel-cobalt-aluminum battery powering front and rear motors, delivering up to 496 horsepower and a solid 0-60 mph (96 km/h) time of 4.7 seconds.

What Happened to This Daytona?

Photos IAAI

Now, onto the important stuff—the damage. This one didn’t make it past its first 682 miles (just under 1,100 km) before finding its match. From what we can gather, it either had a mild run-in with another car or maybe just collided with a stationary object. Who can really say?

While the front-end damage doesn’t seem catastrophic at first glance, it was enough to trigger the driver’s airbag, which we all know is usually the kiss of death for a car’s viability in the eyes of an insurance company. So, the insurance folks did what they do best and decided to write it off and call it a day.

More: Dodge Charger Rumored To Get Hemi V8 Power In 2026

On the outside, the damage on the electric Dodge seems pretty concentrated at the front: bumper, LED lights, and hood all took a hit. What lies beneath the sheet metal? Well, your guess is as good as ours. It’s entirely possible there’s more hidden damage under the surface, but for the right price, a skilled repair shop or even someone with some mechanical know-how might be able to bring this Charger Daytona back to life.

Feeling Lucky?

If you’re feeling adventurous and willing to take the risk the insurance company wasn’t, this Charger Daytona R/T is now up for auction at IAAI’s Texas division. You can check out the listing here before it hits the block in a few days. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to take on this crashed Daytona and give it a second chance for a price that won’t make you cry.

Photos IAAI

Tesla’s ongoing battle with vandalism and protests seems to be showing no signs of letting up, and if anything, it’s only getting worse. In what’s possibly one of the largest attacks we’ve heard of so far, at least in terms of the sheer number of vehicles affected, over 80 Tesla cars were damaged at a dealership in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday.

Police responded to the scene after receiving reports of vandalism at the Tesla dealership. Upon arrival, officers discovered that over 80 Tesla vehicles parked outdoors had been damaged, including deep scratches, punctured tires, and possibly other forms of destruction.

More: Tesla Under Siege As Multiple EVs Set On Fire And Vandalized Across The US In One Day

“Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage and are asking the public for assistance in solving this crime,” said Hamilton Police in a statement.

This attack is just the latest in a series of incidents that have put Tesla in the crosshairs. Just days earlier, a suspicious fire at a parking lot in London, Ontario, left a 2025 Tesla Model S in flames, according to CBC. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but police estimate the damage at around $140,000.

Tesla Booted From The Vancouver Auto Show

In another blow to the brand in Canada, organizers of the Vancouver Auto Show booted Tesla from the lineup earlier this week, citing security concerns. With the event kicking off today, the organizers feared that Tesla’s presence would attract angry protests and further vandalism. VIAS said it gave the company multiple chances to withdraw voluntarily, but Tesla refused. “The Vancouver Auto Show’s primary concern is the safety of attendees, exhibitors, and staff,” the show’s organizers said in a statement.

A Global Problem

These incidents are hardly isolated, with attacks against Tesla vehicles and dealerships popping up worldwide—though the US has certainly seen a disproportionate share. In fact, there’s been a troubling surge in vandalism targeting both private Tesla cars and the company’s locations, including dealerships and Supercharger stations, over the past few weeks.

More: Tesla Accused Of Gaming Canada’s EV Rebate Program After 4 Stores Sold 2 Cars Per Minute Wiping Out $43M In Grants

The intensity of the attacks seems to have spiked since former U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Tesla CEO Elon Musk to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The department’s aggressive cuts to government spending, which led to widespread layoffs, have likely stoked rising tensions. Musk’s often controversial tweets on his X platform, which continue to stir the pot, certainly haven’t helped calm the situation either.

In Canada, however, the situation is more complex. The Trump administration’s increasingly combative rhetoric, including threats of tariffs and calls for annexation, has strained relations between the neighboring countries. Elon Musk, though not an elected official, has become a lightning rod for much of the criticism due to his prominent role in the administration. And with Tesla being his most visible and accessible venture, much of that frustration is being channeled directly toward the company and its products.