Tesla designed a series of custom posters inspired by iconic, mostly sci-fi movies, adding a unique touch to their 2024 We, Robot event. Each poster was a reimagined version of a classic film infused with Tesla’s futuristic aesthetic. These posters weren’t just decorations—some captured Tesla’s vision of a tech-driven future, while others even showed off the Cybercab’s design before it was officially unveiled a few hours later.
Interestingly, despite the event’s title, there was no “I, Robot”-inspired poster. Given the event’s focus on AI and robotics, it would have been a fitting addition, reflecting the futuristic nature of the event.
We’ve compiled all the posters Tesla displayed at the event and even edited them for better quality. In this collection, we’ll walk through each poster and compare it to the original movie poster it was inspired by.
A.I. - E.T.
The A.I. Poster, based on E.T.
Not a Tesla App
This poster, inspired by E.T., depicts a robot reaching out to touch a human hand, mirroring the iconic moment in the original movie where an alien reaches out. In E.T., the image symbolizes the bond of friendship between humans and extraterrestrials; here, Tesla reinterprets it to reflect the theme of We, Robot—a celebration of connection and cooperation between humans and artificial intelligence. Instead of the original moon in the background, Tesla swaps it out for Mars.
Not a Tesla App
Robotaxi Driver - Taxi Driver
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This poster draws inspiration from the iconic neo-noir classic Taxi Driver. In Tesla’s rendition, Elon Musk appears as an Optimus robot, evoking imagery of a Robotaxi navigating the bustling streets of New York City. It’s a clever nod to both the film’s gritty urban setting and Tesla’s vision for autonomous vehicles.
Not a Tesla App
The Musk - The Mask
The Musk poster, based on The Mask.
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Inspired by the comedy superhero film The Mask, this poster features “Optimus Musk” as a playful yet formidable figure, ready to take on challenges while hiding behind a mask. While it may seem lighthearted on the surface, it subtly hints at the potential role Optimus robots could play in public service, perhaps even in support roles alongside law enforcement. Given that the Cybertruck has already been seen in a police configuration, the idea of Optimus units assisting in similar roles doesn’t feel too far-fetched.
Not a Tesla App
My Neighbor Optimus - My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Optimus poster, based onMy Neighbor Totoro
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My Neighbor Totoro, the beloved Japanese animated film from Studio Ghibli, explores themes of environmentalism through traditional Japanese folklore and spirit characters. This particular poster stands out as one of our favorites, as it beautifully connects to Tesla’s core mission—accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy. Just as Totoro celebrates a harmonious relationship with nature, Tesla’s vision emphasizes sustainability and environmental stewardship, making this homage both fitting and inspiring.
Not a Tesla App
Bots - Jaws
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This poster is much simpler, and unfortunately, we couldn’t find a higher-quality shot of the poster. However, Tesla cleverly reimagines the iconic Jaws poster by replacing the movie title with “Bots”, depicting a shark looming over an unsuspecting Optimus swimming in the water.
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Master Plan Part IV - Back to the Future
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This one, in Back to the Future font, says Master Plan - Part IV - along with a play on the icon movie quote - “Drivers? Where we’re going, we don’t need drivers.”
The film uses the license plate “Outta Time,” which Tesla cleverly swapped out for “Outagas”.
Tesla and Elon’s last big plan was Master Plan 3. We’re excited to see when Master Plan IV arrives in full, and we’ll break it down for you when it does.
Not a Tesla App
Mad Musk - Mad Max
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In a creative twist on the iconic Mad Max movie poster, Tesla reimagines the dystopian world with a futuristic edge. Titled Mad Musk, the poster features Tesla’s Cybercab in the background and Optimus/Musk as Max. Tesla replaced the original weapon with Tesla’s NACS charger. Tesla was not afraid to show off the Cybercab’s design before the official keynote, as this poster also leaked the design of the autonomous taxi.
Not a Tesla App
Gasbusters - Ghostbusters
Not a Tesla App
This Tesla poster takes inspiration from the Ghostbusters movie, though after sifting through countless images, it’s unclear which specific Ghostbusters poster it directly references. The closest we could find was Ghostbusters - Frozen Empire. Regardless, the design creatively reimagines the theme, swapping “Ghostbusters” with “Gasbusters” to highlight the shift away from gas.
The poster features Tesla’s robotaxi, outfitted with emergency lights mounted on the roof, replacing the iconic Ecto-1 vehicle. In a fun twist, instead of the classic Ecto-1 license plate, the robotaxi proudly displays “Robo-1.”
Not a Tesla App
Optimus - Scarface
Not a Tesla App
This poster is a simpler version of the classic Scarface movie. It features Optimus as Tony Montana against the classic black-and-white background. Along the left side, it reads, “Say hello to our little friend...”
Not a Tesla App
While not all of these posters were profoundly deep, they were undeniably cool. These posters are fantastic tributes to cult classics and to our favorite company, Tesla. It would be a missed opportunity if Tesla didn’t offer some of these posters for sale in the future.
If we missed any posters or you have a higher-quality version of any of them, please let us know.
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While Tesla’s 2024 Holiday Update brought many new features, including Apple Watch Support, Cross Traffic Alerts, Weather Overlays, Search Along Route, and others, there are also several smaller items in this update that didn’t get much attention.
Ambient Lighting Now Affects Rainbow Road & Santa Mode
The 2024+ Model 3 and Cybertruck both come equipped with ambient lighting, and Tesla is now taking advantage of this custom lighting feature by incorporating it into several easter eggs.
Rainbow Road: If you head over to Apps > ToyBox > Rainbow Road, you’ll find a new option available that allows the ambient lighting in the vehicle to also change shades while Rainbow Road is active. The Rainbow Road easter egg is a tribute to the iconic course course in Nintendo’s Mario Kart.
Check out the feature in action below:
🇮🇹 Con l’aggiornamento di Natale, quando attiviamo la pista arcobaleno, anche i LED interni diventeranno arcobaleno. Questa è una novità non documentata, scovata da un utente di TESLERS (chiaramente riguarda le Model 3 Highland)
Santa Mode: Just in time for Christmas, Tesla has improved Santa Mode by cycling the ambient lighting between Christmas colors. Similar to Rainbow Road, the use of ambient lighting for the easter egg is optional and can be enabled under Apps > ToyBox > Santa Mode.
When using Santa Mode with ambient lighting turned on, the lights will cycle just between Christmas colors, red, green and white, instead of the full rainbow. There’s a video of the feature below:
The Model S and Model X vehicles that support Steam gaming are receiving a Steam app update in the holiday update as well. This update could end up being very interesting, but for now Tesla says that the SteamOS, which also runs on Valve’s Steam Deck has been updated to version 3.6.
Valve outlines a wide range of fixes and improvements in their release notes for version 3.6, but Tesla simply states that the OS update includes performance enhancements and improved game compatibility.
The SteamOS hasn’t been updated on the Model S and X for quite a while, so we believe there may be more to this besides performance improvements and fixes. We’ll be looking to share some insights into this in the near future.
So, there you have it—three new features in the Holiday update that have mostly gone under the radar. While they may not apply to everyone, there are plenty of other cool features in the Holiday Update, like the arrival of Dynamic Road Closure Routing and Nearby Parking, that are coming to every vehicle, so go check out the full release notes.
At the 2023 Q3 Earnings Call, Tesla provided an update on its next-generation model, what many are referring to as the “Model 2” or “Model Q.” Although the actual model name is yet to be determined, it is known internally as Redwood.
During the 2024 Shareholder Meeting, Musk again mentioned the upcoming model, saying that Tesla is working on new products, including a more affordable vehicle and a larger SUV.
While we know the next-gen vehicle is aimed at the $25k to $30k USD market, we now have some new information thanks to a new report out of China.
Launch & Price
According to the Chinese outlet CNMO Technology News (Sina Finance), Travis Axelrod, Tesla’s Head of Investor Relations, announced plans to launch a new model. Axelrod shared this update while addressing senior corporate investors at an investor conference hosted by Deutsche Bank on December 5, 2024.
The goal of Project Redwood, internally dubbed “Model Q” by Deutsche Bank, is to achieve a post-subsidy price of under $30,000 USD. With the Federal EV Rebate potentially expiring next year, this suggests that the Model Q’s starting price will be around $30,000 USD. For comparison, the Model 3 currently starts at $42,490 in the U.S.
We previously reported that Tesla has already been speaking to suppliers and is looking to begin volume production of the vehicle sometime around June 2025. Of course, prototyping is still necessary, but we haven’t seen any signs of Tesla testing a new vehicle since spotting the Cybercab on the streets ahead of We, Robot.
Specs
The Model Q will supposedly be about 15% smaller and 30% lighter than the Model 3, with an approximate length of 3,988mm, or 157 inches. For scale, the Mini is 157 inches, while the Model 3 is 185 inches, so it’s fairly compact.
The battery will also be smaller to match the vehicle’s smaller size as Tesla tries to reduce the vehicle’s price while maintaining a similar range as its other vehicles. Tesla is expected to offer two models—a single-motor RWD model and a Long-Range Dual-Motor AWD variant.
Variant
Motors
Battery Size
Estimated Range
RWD
1
53 kWh
230 miles (375km)
AWD
2
75 kWh
310 miles (500km)
There’s no news yet on the price of the AWD version, but we expect it to be about $5,000 more expensive than the RWD variant.
Once the vehicle ramps up in production, Tesla intends to produce about 10,000 of these per week globally or about 500,000 per year. As Tesla mentioned during one of their previous earnings calls, this next-gen vehicle will be built using Tesla’s current assembly lines with minimal changes. This should allow for a smoother and more predictable production ramp. While Tesla still plans to use its new unboxed assembly process, it’s now saving it for the robotaxi.
We’re expecting Juniper to launch early next year, as production has supposedly already begun at Giga Shanghai, at least on a limited prototyping basis. If the rollout matches the Model 3 Highland refresh, we’ll see Juniper arrive in China first and then make its way to North America and Europe by the end of 2025. The performance variants should launch in early 2026, after the standard models.
If you’re excited about Juniper, so are we! Check out our wishlist of features for Tesla’s Model Y refresh, and see everything we know so far.