Is Tesla getting ready to unveil the refreshed Model 3?
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk's recent visit to China, his first in three years, has set the stage for widespread conjecture around the unveiling of the revamped Tesla Model 3. Dubbed Project Highland, this model refresh has been a topic of discussion for some time. Industry insiders believe Musk's significant stop at the Shanghai Gigafactory might be strategically timed to coincide with a potential sneak peek of the new Model 3 design.
Musk's China visit is of strategic importance for Tesla. The Shanghai Gigafactory, a significant player in Tesla's global supply chain, has seen tremendous growth in recent years, a fact Musk highlighted during his visit. In addition, he praised the local team's quality and efficiency in overcoming numerous challenges, which might be a nod towards Tesla's rumored advancements with Project Highland.
Unraveling Project Highland: The Anticipated Tesla Model 3 Redesign
Tesla's Model 3 has seen minimal changes since its introduction in 2017. However, the buzz around 'Project Highland' suggests a significant design refresh is on the horizon. While the precise details remain partially under wraps, Tesla has hinted at numerous upgrades, including changes to the interior and exterior.
Over the past months, camouflaged vehicles have been spotted around California, with industry enthusiasts speculating over the hinted changes in Model 3's design. The sightings and drone footage from the Fremont factory indicate potential innovations, such as a stalkless steering wheel. Moreover, leaks suggest updates to the headlights and an overall sleeker design. It's clear that the anticipation around 'Project Highland' has been mounting.
Strategic Inventory Discounts: Preparing for the New Arrival?
Adding to the speculation around Project Highland, Tesla has recently made notable price adjustments to their existing inventory. The company has doubled discounts on some existing Model 3 electric cars and offered incentives on other models. This is an unusual move for the company and can be seen as a strategic measure to stir the market before introducing a significant model update.
In a competitive market, Tesla's discounts serve multiple purposes. First, they entice buyers amidst rising competition and potential economic uncertainty. They could also signal that Tesla is clearing inventory ahead of the launch of the new Model 3, hinting that the production versions of Project Highland are nearly ready.
While these are mostly speculations, the industry is eager for Tesla to make an official announcement. The reported discounts and the rumoured refresh have stirred considerable interest among electric vehicle enthusiasts and potential buyers.
Elon Musk's recent comments during his China visit, combined with Tesla's strategic pricing adjustments, suggest that something exciting is on the horizon for the Tesla Model 3. Whether these speculations will lead to unveiling of the new Model 3 under 'Project Highland' remains to be seen. As we await more official information, the anticipation continues to build around this significant refresh.
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Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.
Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.
It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.
Advisor-led Demo
This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.
The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.
Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.
Vision-based Improvements
ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.
Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.
I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.
Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.
Actually Smart Summon
ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.
We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.
We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.
Park Seek and Banish Autopark
When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.
A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.
While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.
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