Tesla Cuts Price of Model Y SUV as COVID-19 Weighs on Auto Sector

FILE PHOTO: The Tesla logo is seen on a car in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
FILE PHOTO: The Tesla logo is seen on a car in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
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Tesla Cuts Price of Model Y SUV as COVID-19 Weighs on Auto Sector

FILE PHOTO: The Tesla logo is seen on a car in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
FILE PHOTO: The Tesla logo is seen on a car in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) cut the price of its sport utility vehicle Model Y by $3,000, just four months after its launch, as the US electric carmaker seeks to maintain sales momentum in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reduction follows price cuts in May on Tesla’s Model 3, Model X and Model S.

The company headed by Elon Musk this month posted a smaller-than-expected fall in car deliveries in the second quarter, resilient results despite the pandemic that hit the global auto industry.

The Model Y now starts at $49,990, down nearly 6% from its previous price of $52,990, according to the carmaker’s website, Reuters reported.

The company started deliveries of the Model Y in March, promising a much-awaited crossover that will face competition from European carmakers like Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) rolling out their own electric rivals.

In April, Tesla had said the Model Y was already profitable, marking the first time in the company’s 17-year history that one of its new vehicles turned a profit in its first quarter.



New York State Government to Monitor its Use of AI under a New Law

A video surveillance camera hangs from the ceiling above a subway platform, Oct. 7, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
A video surveillance camera hangs from the ceiling above a subway platform, Oct. 7, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
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New York State Government to Monitor its Use of AI under a New Law

A video surveillance camera hangs from the ceiling above a subway platform, Oct. 7, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
A video surveillance camera hangs from the ceiling above a subway platform, Oct. 7, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it was passed by state lawmakers earlier this year.

The law requires state agencies to perform assessments of any software that uses algorithms, computational models or AI techniques, and then submit those reviews to the governor and top legislative leaders along with posting them online, according to The AP.

It also bars the use of AI in certain situations, such as an automated decision on whether someone receives unemployment benefits or child care assistance, unless the system is being consistently monitored by a human.

State workers would also be shielded from having their hours or job duties limited because of AI under the law.

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, called the law an important step in setting up some guardrails in how the emerging technology is used in state government.