Snapshot
- Model 3 with front and rear spy checks
- Recommends design or safety adaptations.
- A Tesla design boss suggests no major updates are coming.
The Tesla Model 3 spotted in California has been tested again, but Tesla’s design head reveals that no major updates are coming.
Only the front and rear are covered in the electric sedan, indicating minor design changes or simply testing new safety-assist sensors.
Electric reported that Tesla could reintroduce radar sensors, and a separate filing suggests that better camera hardware is on the horizon.
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According to ReutersThe American electric vehicle maker will introduce an update to the Model 3 sedan later in 2023, codenamed Project ‘Highland’, with an even simpler interior to reduce production costs.
However, Tesla’s senior design executive Franz von Holzhausen has dismissed the rumour.
“There are things we always look at…those vehicles [Model 3 and Model Y] They’re great at what they are, and we haven’t seen any need or demand for change so it’s an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ kind of mentality,” Van Holzhausen explained. Take the electric ride. The podcast
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“You look at the 3 and Y on the street and they have a very modern feel…why screw it up?”
Unlike traditional automakers, Tesla deploys rolling changes without notice and introduces more iterative updates rather than full generation life cycles.
The Tesla Model 3 was first unveiled in 2016, with first deliveries starting in the US before arriving in Australia in 2019.
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It has since become the most popular electric car, surpassing the venerable Toyota Camry in 2022 with 1,339 examples.
An update was already introduced in 2021 that brought matte black exterior trims, an electric tailgate, new wheel designs, a redesigned center console, and a more efficient heat pump system.