B2- Upper Intermediate
Tesla, once the golden child of the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, is facing mounting challenges that threaten its dominant position in the market. From falling sales and aggressive price cuts to rising competition and internal turmoil, the cracks are starting to show. And if recent trends are any indication, things at Tesla aren’t just bad — they’re on the verge of getting much worse.
Watch the video and be able to answer the questions below.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does the verb “tank” mean here, “It’s stock has tanked, dropping 34% this year.“? Use the word in a sentence and give 2 synonyms.
- What does “on pace to leave someone/something in the dust” mean? “The Chinese EV and battery maker, for the first time, top Tesla in revenue in 2024 and is on pace to leave it in the dust as the global leader in electric vehicle sales this year.” Use the idiom in a sentence.
- What does the phrasal verb “flat out” mean in this sentence, “Robin Zang said in an interview that he would flat out tell Elon Musk that Tesla’s new battery cell is going to fail and never be successful.“? Use the phrase in a sentence and give 2 synonyms.
Discussion Questions:
- Do you believe Elon Musk’s leadership style is helping or hurting Tesla in the current climate? Share your point of view.
- In your opinion, is Tesla still the leader in innovation within the EV industry? Explain.
- Should Tesla focus more on new products or fixing its current business and production issues? Share your insights.
- What factors do you think are contributing most to Tesla’s recent struggles — internal decisions or external competition?
- What is your opinion about what China did allowing Tesla to have a fully owned factory in their country? Do you think they did that intentionally to take US brand’s technology and build theirs better?