Elon Musk talks Tesla Model 3 and car competition from Google or Apple [Video]

This week, Tesla Motors [NASDAQ: TSLA] CEO Elon Musk took the stage at the Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verde, CA. In a fascinating interview with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, Musk answered a wide range of questions and revealed some intriguing insights into the Tesla Model 3 and its aggressive production ramp. In addition, he provided his thoughts on possible competition from Google or Apple to get into the electric vehicle and/or autonomous driving space. And there's more -- Musk made some stunning predictions about the future. So, let's get right into it.

Source: Code Conference

According to the Verge, discussing: "whether the base [Tesla] Model 3 would include Autopilot functionality, CEO Elon Musk teased that there'd be a 'big' event for the Model 3 toward the end of the year. He wouldn't say anything about what would be unveiled there, only that they'd do 'the obvious thing.'... There's also the fact that Musk mentioned the event in response to a question about Autopilot, so Tesla could unveil the Model 3's Autopilot [self-driving] system." Check out the video below as Musk talks about Tesla Model 3's production ramp and notes that design should be done -- "pencils down" in six weeks.

Youtube: Recode

Regarding possible competition with tech giants, according to Recode, Musk first discussed Google: "Google's done a great job at showing the potential of autonomous transport, but they're not a car company, so they'd potentially license to other companies... I wouldn't say they're a competitor." However, when Musk was asked about Apple, he replied, "Yeah, that'll be more direct [competition]." But, he noted Apple might be too late to autonomous vehicles to be a big threat. "I'd think there will be volume production no sooner than 2020," he said about Apple. "Is that too late?" Nevertheless, Musk offered encouragement, "I think it's great they're doing this, and I hope it works out."

Source: Code Conference

Much of Musk's interview revolved around his thoughts on artificial intelligence, space exploration (as CEO of his other company SpaceX), and some bold futurist observations. What observations? Well, according to USA Today, he discussed humans evolving into cyborgs, "it will be some sort of direct cortical interface," and the world we perceive as a simulation, "there's a one in billions chance we're in base reality." Yes... this is definitely an interview worth watching from start to finish. To that end, we've included video footage of the entire Elon Musk Code Conference interview below. Check it out below and enjoy...

Youtube: Recode