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Exploring Details Behind the Tesla Model S Update
After four years on the market, Tesla has quietly released a new styling update for the Model S aligning it with the design found on the Model X and Model 3 prototype.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has once said that Tesla continues to improve on their vehicles making sometimes twenty engineering design changes per week, with many of them being released via over-the-air software updates, but major redesigns are few and far between.
Let’s take a closer look at what the new Model S “refresh” introduced.
Exterior Design Updates
The most noticeable exterior update is the new front-end of the Model S which looks most like the front-end of the Model X.
- 2016 Tesla Model S revised front end
- Red Tesla Model X with Silver 20″ Wheels
Though they look very similar in design, the Model S looks even sleeker due to the lower profile over the Model X. The revised look keeps the Model S modern in appearance, but subtle enough that it still remains true to its original contour and body lines.
One update that easily goes unnoticed is the relocation of the front facing radar. Because of the new grill-less design of the Model S, the Tesla design team had to move the radar up from the bottom grill to the open space behind the Tesla emblem. This not only helps with functionality because of a higher mounting position with potentially less obstruction, but the new hidden location makes the car look a heck of a lot better.
Also improved on the exterior are the headlights which are now adaptive LED headlamps that adjust according to the curvature of the road. This is standard equipment found on the Model X but also seen on the Model 3 prototypes.
Interior Design Updates
The interior treatment of the Model S received a few new updates as well. Tesla has included a standard center console that looks to be the same one from the Model X.
- Revised Tesla Model S center console
- Tesla Model X Front Interior
Tesla Model S (left) vs Model X (right) interior
Tesla has also added a Figured Ash as an available interior trim. This trim has been very popular among Model X buyers, but it also happens to be a personal favorite of mine.
Additional Features
The Model S onboard charger has been upgraded from a 40A standard charger to a 48A standard charger, with an option to further increase charging rate by opting for a 72A “high amperage” charger. The older Model S configurations offered a 40A charger standard with an option to upgrade to 80A (‘dual chargers‘).
Tesla also made the automatic lift gate now a standard option which makes sense for a premium vehicle in this price range.
Included in the premium upgrade package is the BioWeapon defense mode air filtration system, as well as ambient interior lighting (previously an optional upgrade).
Pricing
While there were many rumors of a Model S price increase leading up to this design refresh, the new updates do not seem to be reflected in the price.
“The new Model S may actually be less expensive than before”
I priced out the latest Model S with options that I chose from before, and compared the new price side by side with one I previously saved.
The price from before was $98,450 and the new price is $104,450, but despite the price difference there are a couple of key differences which makes for the price disparity. Let me explain.
The last time I configured a Model S I couldn’t locate a high amperage/dual charger option so my $98,450 does not include that option. On the other hand, the updated Model S comes with a 48A charger as a standard feature. This is included in the base price of the vehicle.
Tesla also no longer offers the S85D which I priced-out back then, so this new price is for the 90D. In the past the extra 5 kWh was a $3,000 option.
If you back both of those out to the new price you get to a price difference of $99,950 or a price increase of $500. Keep in mind that the updated Model S also comes with a center console (previously a $650 extra charge) and the new air filtration system. Depending on how you look at it, the new Model S may actually be less expensive than before.
One could easily make the case that the new offering is an improvement over what Tesla offered before and is actually less expensive.
Summary
It’s great to see Tesla keeping the Model S design fresh and current despite all of the activity going on within the company, let alone conquering challenges with launching the Model X and preparing for the Model 3. Being able to pull off this current update – factoring in changes to production, logistics, service, etc – Tesla continues to defy naysayers and show the world what ingenuity and perseverance can accomplish in such a short amount of time.
News
Tesla’s AI Chief just hinted at something big for FSD v14 lite owners
Tesla’s AI chief suggests the newest FSD v14 Lite build may finally go wide release.
Tesla’s head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, noted on Sunday that the newest FSD v14 Lite build rolling out to Hardware 3 cars is likely the version that goes to wide release, the strongest signal yet that Tesla is near to closing out an early access phase that Hardware 3 owners have waited more than a year for.
Elluswamy made the comment in response to an extensive review from Tesla owner Zack, known on X as @BLKMDL3, who tested software version 2026.20.6.10 and detailed the changes in a lengthy post. “FSD v14 Lite (for Tesla AI3 hardware vehicles) review.
The update restarts a rollout that had stalled after its initial release. Tesla began pushing FSD v14 Lite to Hardware 3 early access drivers on June 29, bringing driving behavior learned on the newer Hardware 4 computer down to the more limited chip that has powered Tesla vehicles built between 2019 and early 2023. That release, as we covered in detail, gave roughly 4 million HW3 vehicles their first meaningful update since being frozen on version 12.6 in early 2025.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ Release Notes: new capabilities and features
The latest build adds features that bring Hardware 3 closer in line with what Hardware 4 owners already have. FSD can now start directly from park without a brake pedal confirmation, a change Zack called a small but meaningful quality of life improvement. The interface also picks up the blue “P” park icon, approaching destination alerts, and a dedicated Self-Driving app with streak tracking, all details previously exclusive to the AI4 branch of v14, as outlined in Tesla’s original release notes.
The stakes around Hardware 3 go beyond software polish. Tesla sold the Full Self-Driving package for years on the promise that every vehicle equipped with it had the hardware needed to eventually drive itself without supervision. That promise broke down during Tesla’s Q1 2026 earnings call, when Musk acknowledged HW3 cars could not run unsupervised FSD, prompting Tesla to offer trade-in discounts and hardware retrofits alongside the Lite software track.
Tesla confirmed HW3 can’t do Unsupervised FSD but there’s more to the story
Tesla has continued to frame v14 Lite as the primary path forward for the HW3 fleet, telling owners in April that international markets would follow the U.S. rollout once regulatory approvals came through. For now, HW3 owners in the early access group are the only ones running the new build. A broader rollout would mark the second major software delivery to the legacy fleet since Tesla first released FSD v14 to Hardware 4 vehicles, and the first sign since June that the Lite program is still moving rather than stuck in early access limbo.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk sends first warning to SpaceX short sellers
In a pointed message on X, Elon Musk warned that firms maintaining significant short positions in SpaceX over time face “very low” survival probability.
The statement comes amid post-IPO volatility for the rocket company, now trading under the ticker $SPCX.
The survival probability of firms who maintain a significant short position in SpaceX over time is very low
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 17, 2026
Five weeks after what was described as the largest IPO in history, the stock had fallen roughly 30% from its peak above $2.6 trillion, briefly surpassing Microsoft and Amazon in market value. Short sellers celebrated gains of about $8.7 billion, but Musk’s reply underscores his long-term conviction.
The warning directly echoes a detailed bullish analysis arguing that Starship’s cost reductions could unlock a multi-trillion-dollar space economy. Projects ranging from solar power beamed from orbit and asteroid mining to orbital data centers and Mars terraforming were projected to create over $100 trillion in new market capitalization.
In this vision, SpaceX acts as the essential infrastructure provider, akin to AWS for cloud computing, capturing monopoly-like revenues from launches, crew transport, and data traffic across a rapidly expanding frontier.
This is far from the first time Musk has targeted short sellers. With Tesla, he has repeatedly framed persistent bears as destined for major losses. In July 2024, Musk declared that once Tesla achieves full autonomy and volume production of Optimus robots, “anyone still holding a short position will be obliterated. Even Gates,” referencing Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ reported short bets.
Elon Musk reveals what Tesla stock surge could do to Bill Gates
Earlier, in 2018, he taunted shorts that they had “about three weeks before their short position explodes,” a remark followed by sharp stock gains. Musk has also called short selling “value destroying” and once suggested it “should be illegal,” viewing it as betting against innovation and progress.
Critics often dismiss Musk’s optimism as hype, especially when near-term metrics like quarterly deliveries or stock fluctuations disappoint.
Yet his pattern remains consistent: framing short positions against his companies as fundamentally misjudging exponential technological leaps. For SpaceX shorts, the message is clear: betting against multi-planetary ambitions and the infrastructure monopoly they enable carries existential risk for the firms involved.
As Musk and supporters see it, the space economy’s upside dwarfs Earth-bound valuation models, making today’s dips temporary in a decades-long ascent.
News
Tesla reveals first vehicle model to receive Starlink integration
Tesla has evidently revealed which of its vehicle models will be the first to receive Starlink integration: the Cybercab.
Tesla’s Santana Row showroom now has a full-fledged display of the Cybercab, with an extensive bit of information hung around an exhibit that seems to reveal the vehicle’s newest feature: an integrated Starlink antenna that will enable secure and reliable internet access during trips.

Credit: @Starscream_SJC | X
Cybercab is geared toward autonomous ride-hailing for one or two passengers. The production units rolling off the lines at Gigafactory Texas are built without steering wheels or pedals, meaning when public rides begin, passengers will not need to interact with a human being or control the vehicle in any way outside of what appears on the center screen for their entertainment during the ride.
Tesla Santana Row will be reopening tomorrow with a full focus on self-driving. Everything in the showroom is about Robotaxi and Cybercab with stats and information about the technology. The Cybercab on display is the production model. pic.twitter.com/yIUYdOGFOp
— Shaun Cassidy (@Starscream_SJC) July 20, 2026
Along the display, Tesla wrote this message about Cybercab:
“Cybercab is built for autonomy. It has no steering wheel, no side mirrors, and no pedals. It goes where you tell it to go and how you want it to, so you can relax along the way. It is hyper aware and responsive to your surroundings, monitoring other drivers, responding to emergency vehicles, utilizing its expertise in the rarest scenarios to help keep you safe.”
Tesla has been teasing a potential Starlink integration for quite some time now. In December, the company hinted at potential Starlink internet terminal integration within its vehicles in a patent that described a vehicle roof assembly with integrated radio frequency (RF) transparency.
The company wrote in its patent application that a new roof design built with materials that differ from the standard metallic or glass elements used in today’s cars would allow it to integrate modern vehicular technologies, in particular, ones that require radio frequency transmission and reception.
Tesla suggested high-strength polymer blends, like Polycarbonate, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate.
This is the first time we’ve seen Tesla officially confirm the Starlink integration into the Cybercab. It’s not much of a surprise considering the company’s intention behind the Cybercab, which is to make travel autonomous.
Productivity will now be at a maximum during a work-related commute, while the center screen could be utilized for Netflix or potentially even live TV for those who are heading to dinner or to a fun activity.




