Tesla has been boosting its advertising and public education efforts over the last several months, with many executives and employees discussing the company’s electric vehicles (EVs) and other products more publicly and regularly. In one video shared on social media over the weekend, the company’s head of design discussed futuristic aesthetics for the company’s vehicles, along with a call to action for other automakers and more.
In a video posted by the Tesla Asia account on X on Saturday evening, Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen talks in a behind-the-scenes format about designing “products that felt like the future” — a topic the automaker has regularly discussed over the years, especially with the release of the Cybertruck.
Tesla launches advertising on X in the U.S., expanding ‘small scale’ strategy outlined by Musk
He notes that the notion of vehicle design needing to look like the future initially came from one of CEO Elon Musk’s children, along with a few other interesting details. For one, he notes that the updated Model 3 pays homage to the original Roadster with its full “Tesla” lettering on the rear (rather than just the “T” logo).
Beyond the Model 3 and the Cybertruck, von Holzhausen talks a little bit about the Model S, saying that he and Musk were often discussing “where the ball is going to, not what’s happening today.”
The designer also points out that he originally joined Tesla because of his interest in advancing sustainability, even going on to encourage other automakers to help the world transition to EVs.
“I mean it’s great to hear, I think, in China there are going to be more EVs sold than ICE cars,” von Holzhausen said. “What a great moment to celebrate kind of this transition. It’s hard for one company to do all of that alone. And so we want other people to learn from what we’ve learned to help ultimately make our clients that’s a lot of competition.”
“But competition makes us stronger makes us better, keeps us in the forefront.”
You can watch the video on the Tesla Asia account on X here, or below.
The future should look like the future
BTS of Tesla vehicle design with @woodhaus2 pic.twitter.com/uiLSph9AZQ
— Tesla Asia (@Tesla_Asia) March 24, 2024
Tesla’s latest efforts in advertising and education
Tesla has clearly been experimenting with advertising via social media platforms and more over the last several months. This includes the company’s shift toward having executives, engineers, and other employees interacting directly with owners and fans on X, alongside increased media appearances around the Cybertruck launch.
Along with this and other recent appearances from von Holzhausen, Tesla has been sharing more “citizen-journalism” style content, including a livestream posted by the automaker’s North America account on Friday. Held at one of the company’s stores near the factory in Fremont, California, the livestream features an employee named Brenda answering questions about the Model Y, as can be seen below (or here).
— Tesla North America (@tesla_na) March 22, 2024
As yet another example of recent advertising, Tesla earlier this month had a Cybertruck towing a Model Y encased in glass, featuring the caption, “The Best-Selling Car in the World is Made in America.”
Along with these, there are countless other examples that have been rolling out, after Musk said at last year’s annual shareholder’s meeting that Tesla would begin advertising. The comment followed feedback and questions from many Tesla shareholders as to why the company wasn’t advertising to at least help educate the public and fight misinformation on EVs.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send your tips to us at tips@teslarati.com.
Tesla has officially launched the Model Y L in the United States and Puerto Rico for $61,990. It is the longer-wheelbase version of the Model Y, and has been available in China since last year.
Tesla brings the Model Y L to the U.S. just months after it phased out the only pure SUV in its lineup, the Model X. It is slightly longer than the Model Y configurations that are already available in the U.S., and features a three-row, six-seat setup with Captain’s Chairs being among the many features that make this a truly fantastic offering.
The Model Y L is priced competitively at $61,990, and features 325 miles of range and a 0-60 MPH in just 4.4 seconds.
Tesla also added a handful of new features that are not available in even the Premium Model Y. Here’s a full list of its features:
- Heated/Ventilated Front Seats with Powered Thigh Cushion
- Heated/Ventilated Captain’s Seats in Second Row with Powered Armrests & One-Touch Fold
- Heated Third-Row Seats with Power Recline, One-Touch Fold & Child Seat Anchors
- Improved Airflow, Increased Efficiency, More Range
- 89 cubic feet of trunk space
- Upgraded Acoustic Glass and Suspension to Minimize Road Noise
- Adaptive Damping for a Smooth, Stable Ride
- Staggered Tires for Enhanced Grip
- Larger Tailgate for Better Rear Visibility and Bigger Windows Overall
- 16″ First Row and 8″ Second Row Touchscreens
- 19-Speaker Immersive Tesla Audio
- 50W Wireless Charging Pads with Active Cooling and Charging Ports for All Other Seats
- FSD Supervised and Integrated Grok AI
Tesla is also delivering these first units as a “Launch Series,” which comes with additional features, such as:
- Door Trim Puddle Lights
- Suede Dashboard Wing
- Exterior and Interior Badging
- Floor Mats
- Sill Plates
The launch of the Model Y L in the U.S. marks a huge offering from Tesla to U.S. consumers. People have been calling for Tesla to bring a larger car to the U.S., and it needed it more than ever now that the Model X is gone.
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- Credit: Tesla
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- Credit: Tesla
It is a huge accomplishment for Tesla to get the Model Y L to the U.S., and after reporting strong deliveries today, it will be interesting to see how this car impacts future quarterly delivery reports.
Deliveries for the Model Y L “Launch Series” are slated for September or October of this year.
Tesla just told us twice that the Model Y L is coming to the U.S., and two social media posts definitely just tipped the company’s hand, as if they wanted it to be any other way.
The two social media posts basically confirm that the slightly longer version of the Model Y will be heading to the United States soon, and many have speculated that the company could launch the vehicle as soon as this weekend.
The first post was directly from Tesla, and it showed an incredibly long Dachshund, with words above that said, “Looking forward to the long weekend.”
Looking forward to the long weekend pic.twitter.com/URzH6zOUdn
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 1, 2026
Anyone who knows Tesla knows the company loves to troll its fans and have fun, and this is a perfect example of that. While not a direct acknowledgement, Tesla is very involved on social media, especially CEO Elon Musk’s platform X, and the company is well aware of what is being discussed within the community.
With recent sightings of Model Y L test mules in California, peeks of the vehicle at Giga Texas, and a large call for the car to come to the U.S., Tesla is simply stoking conversation with this.
However, the company also made another move that was recognized on social media. Tesla has a large gallery that includes photos of its products so media and others can use them. This gallery applies to the U.S. market specifically, unless otherwise specified.
Tesla uploaded a Model Y L to the Gallery last night:
This looks like a Model Y L https://t.co/TpnBwrLmH9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 2, 2026
This seems to be another indication that the Model Y L is coming to the United States.
Musk said last year that the Model Y L could make its way to the United States late this year, but it was not something that was set in stone by Tesla. The company definitely needs to establish something in the SUV market that is larger than the Model Y, and the Model Y L might be the answer.
Even still, there are consumers out there who would love Tesla to develop something even larger, like a competitor to the Tahoe or Expedition. Tesla has not really given much of an indication that it will go in that direction.
Tesla is using the vehicles’ internal microphones to improve build quality, Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy revealed recently.
It’s no secret that Tesla is always finding ways to make its manufacturing operations more efficient, accurate, and valuable. Constantly trying to make its cars better, the company has never placed any restrictions on what it will do to improve everything from panel gaps to paint.
As Teslas have been driving autonomously on the property of the Gigafactory Texas plant for a while now, Moravy revealed to Herbert Ong in a new interview that cars rolling off production lines now autonomously navigate themselves through a bumps, squeaks, and rattles (BSR) portion of the line. This helps to identify any loose or improperly installed internal parts.
The cabin’s microphones, which are used for a variety of things in ownership, simultaneously monitor any noises inside the vehicle while it rolls through the BSR portion of the production line. Moravy actually revealed that Tesla is trying to build “Full Self-Hearing,” an AI system that will detect minor imperfections so they can be corrected before delivery.
It’s no secret that build quality is something that Tesla struggled with as it scaled to a fully massive production operation that manufactures over 1.6 million vehicles per year. However, in recent years, especially, there have not been as many complaints. Tesla has truly improved upon its build quality and paint quality over the past several years, especially in the U.S.
Tesla’s ‘megacasts’ are key to massive build quality improvements
While those improvements have been evident, there are still some complaints; no automaker is perfect with this. But this step will now ensure that every single car that rolls off the production lines at Gigafactory Texas will be void of any creaks, squeaks, or squeals when it leaves the factory.
This measure is one of the most unique we’ve seen in terms of a strategy to avoid build quality issues, but it is not exclusive to Tesla.
Ford uses acoustic analysis AI to find abnormalities in seat motors, climate control units, and other components. Suppliers and OEMs will also use microphone arrays or particle velocity sensors in end-of-line stations.
The full interview with Lars Moravy is available below:
🚨 If you’re a Tesla investor, this is one interview you don’t want to skip. The full video posted below.
Jeff Lutz @thejefflutz and I sat down with Tesla VP of Engineering Lars Moravy, and it was packed with insights!
A few of the biggest takeaways:
• Cybercab is expected to… pic.twitter.com/fhYSr2dCqP
— Herbert Ong (@herbertong) July 1, 2026
Tesla brings Model Y L ‘Launch Series’ to the U.S. at $61,990
Tesla just told us twice that Model Y L is coming to the U.S.
