Where better than Los Angeles to announce big news? We've got a large audience, more red carpets than we can manage — and we know how to run a spotlight.
This week, proof. In stories filed late last week and into the weekend, we learned that both Amazon and Tesla would be unveiling their next big products right here in the city of angels. Here's the scoop.
Amazon is (reportedly) testing out a grocery chain of its own
Gossip has it that the e-commerce giant, which acquired Whole Foods back in 2013, is launching a new kind of grocery store, The Wall Street Journal reports. Unlike Whole Foods, which targets higher price point shoppers, the new store would offer grocery standards at affordable prices. In a follow-up piece, WSJ speculated that Amazon might also have plans to buy out regional grocers as part of the deal, a move that the company's big-box rival, Walmart, probably isn't super thrilled about.
The first of Amazon's grocery stores is expected to land in LA, and it could happen before the end of 2019. That soon.
Tesla will unveil the long-awaited Model 3 right here in LA
In the grand tradition of Elon Musk tweeting and the whole world losing their mind, Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday — and the whole world lost their mind.
Musk's tweet announced the launch date for Tesla' long-anticipated Model Y crossover vehicle. That date is March 14, and the venue for the unveiling is the Tesla design studio right here in LA.
Excitement over the Model Y revolves largely around the price point. Unlike Tesla's Model S or Model X, which cost more than $85,000 on average, the Model Y is expected to be priced somewhere in the ballpark of Tesla's affordable Model 3, which retails at around $35,000. The Model Y is built on the same platform as the Model 3 — widely marketed as an every-person's electric vehicle — and the production ramp is expected to be faster than the Model 3, according to a Q4 Tesla shareholder letter.
To achieve this lower price, Tesla has announced plans to shift its sales online. As such, the company is expected to close many of its stores in the next few months and transform remaining stores into information centers.
