Electric vehicle (EV) specialist Tesla has launched the latest iteration of its famous holiday updates, providing owners key safety and tech upgrades with a festive touch.
The 2024 Holiday Update will be released over-the-air from next week, ensuring owners can access the raft of new features by the time that Christmas come around.
Headlining the list of enhancements is the addition of rear cross-traffic alert across the Tesla range, an increasingly common feature which warns a driver if pedestrians or vehicles are detected by the car when reversing.
This is a feature which Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been claiming would be added to the company’s vehicles from 2020, but is only now being rolled out more than four years on.
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Source: Tesla
The facelifted Model 3 sedan also gains ‘Autoshift’, addressing one of the concerns following Tesla’s move to remove a physical gear selector and instead place it in the infotainment touchscreen.
Following the update, Model 3s will be able to automatically switch from Reverse to Drive (or vice versa) after the driver turns the steering wheel and depresses the brake pedal when certain parking conditions are met.
Parking is also being made safer through updates to Tesla’s dash cams and Sentry Modes – clips from the external cameras can now be accessed directly from the Tesla App, and saved for later distribution.
Source: Tesla
Given that Teslas have been targeted in recent keying attacks, it pays to have easily accessible security footage.
The latest raft of updates includes the addition of convenience features within the infotainment system. To help quell driver’s fears about range anxiety, they’ll be able to set a preferred battery charge level for when they arrive at a destination.
The satellite navigation system has been tweaked to show search locations along the driving route with estimated detour times, allowing drivers to better plan their journey with minimal time losses.
The update also sees the return of a Tesla App for the Apple Watch, enabling users of the wearable smart device to lock and unlock their vehicle, open the ‘frunk’, access the climate control settings, and view the vehicle’s state of battery charge.
Source: Tesla
Given the timing of this release, Tesla couldn’t resist throwing some festive cheer into the mix.
The Cybertruck has gained ‘Santa Mode’ – a display setting that changes the vehicle’s standard avatar to Santa’s sleigh with all the bells and whistles.
It’s not the only entertainment-focused offering, with the new ‘Boomerang Fu’ infotainment game also introduced.
A full list of the changes, including other minor nips and tucks, coming as part of the 2024 Holiday Update can be found here.
Tesla sales have been down in Australia this year – every month this year from April onwards, Tesla deliveries have been down double digits on the corresponding month last year.
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