Tesla boss Elon Musk (51) shows no mercy. He saves on his models wherever possible. Compared to their competitors, the Model 3 and Y, for example, no longer have conventional joysticks. There is also no mechanical button for the glove box. The new variants of the Model S and X will no longer have a gear lever.
Since last year, Tesla has also abandoned radar technology for the Model 3 and Y series. As a result, among other things, the automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning and lane departure warning system suddenly stopped working. “When a driver assumes that their car has certain features in the car that it doesn’t, it’s not without problems,” said David Friedman, VP of Advocacy, Consumer Reports. And the US consumer magazine immediately subtracted three points from the Model 3 in its classification – but that was still enough for the “recommended” rating.
Fewer sensors
Meanwhile, Tesla has re-enabled these security-related functions. But Musk is now heralding the next round of savings, according to the German trade magazine “Auto, Motor und Sport.” Since the beginning of this month, Tesla has given up ultrasonic sensors in entry-level 3 and Y models for the European, North American, Middle Eastern and Taiwanese markets. There will also be no ultrasonic sensors for premium S and X models from 2023.
It is not yet clear whether this exemption will have similar security implications as deleting radar sensors. However, the last measure of savings will certainly result in a loss of comfort. Neither the automatic parking function nor the beep will work without ultrasonic sensors. The call and smart call function, which you can call your Tesla using the “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) option, cannot be activated at this time.
price increases
Tesla boss Elon Musk is working on the “Sight Only” approach, which is cheaper in terms of production technology, in which the car must detect its surroundings only through cameras. But not everything seems to go according to his expectations: there is still nothing to see in the fully autonomous Tesla taxi fleet for the beginning of 2020, announced in 2019. In America, we see a high price premium for Tesla’s package of assistance system for semi-autonomous driving. While that cost $7,000 two years ago, Tesla has been charging $15,000 for the same package since September 2022. Elon Musk is definitely not creating new followers with this.