Elon Musk says Tesla is making a mini-car that can fit an adult

Tesla CEO Elon Musk often uses Twitter to make product announcements.AP

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Sunday that the company is making a “mini-car” that can fit an adult.
• Musk was responding to a tweet from Samson Mow, the chief strategy officer of Blockstream, asking when Radio Flyer would make a vehicle based on Tesla‘s Model X SUV.
• Radio Flyer makes miniature, electric cars designed for children, including one based on Tesla’s Model S sedan.
• Musk did not provide further details about Tesla’s mini-car or indicate when it would be released, and the company declined a request for comment.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Sunday that the company is making a “mini-car” that can fit an adult.

Musk was responding to a tweet from Samson Mow, the chief strategy officer of Blockstream, asking when Radio Flyer would make a vehicle based on Tesla’s Model X SUV. Radio Flyer makes miniature, electric cars designed for children, including one based on Tesla’s Model S sedan. The mini-Model S has a weight capacity of 81 pounds, and Radio Flyer’s website says the vehicle is meant for children between the ages of three and eight.

Musk did not provide further details about Tesla’s mini-car or indicate when it would be released, and the company declined a request for comment.

Musk often uses Twitter to announce new products or new features for existing products. In recent months he has discussed or hinted at video games for Tesla vehicles, features for an upcoming pickup truck, and a “Mad Max” mode for the company’s semi-autonomous Autopilot feature that might instruct a vehicle to make more aggressive lane changes than current options allow. He also uses the platform to make jokes and respond to frustrated customers, which has helped make him appear to be more candid and relatable than other CEOs of multibillion-dollar companies.

Musk has also attracted controversy for using Twitter to lash out at critics and reporters.

During a Bloomberg interview published in July, Musk said he had believed he could “attack” people who addressed negative tweets toward him, so long as they attacked him first, but said he would attempt to limit his interactions with critical tweets.

But two days after the interview was published, Musk accused Vernon Unsworth, a diver involved in the Thailand cave rescue, of being a pedophile after Unsworth said the miniature submarine Musk designed and sent to Thailand to help with the rescue would have been ineffective and was merely a publicity stunt.

In April, Tesla’s stock fell 5.16% after Musk mocked analysts who were worried about the company’s financial health.

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