

News
Tesla interiors get bespoke luxury treatment with von Holzhausen x Unplugged Performance collaboration
If there is a legitimate criticism of Tesla’s premium electric cars, it is the fact that their interiors, while extremely comfortable and made from sustainable materials, are not necessarily on the same level as those offered by luxury automakers. Compared to the interiors of cars like the Mercedes-Benz EQS or the Porsche Taycan, for example, the quality of the Model S’ interior could feel a notch or two lower.
That is, at least, until now.
Materials innovation company von Holzhausen, which is owned by materials innovator Vicki von Holzhausen, recently teased an ambitious new project. While the company has made itself busy over the past years producing luxury products such as handbags, backpacks, wallets, and belts from sustainable materials, von Holzhausen hinted that it is working on offering what seemed to be bespoke Tesla interiors.
This has now been confirmed. As noted in a press release from longtime Tesla tuner and aftermarket parts maker Unplugged Performance, it is collaborating with von Holzhausen to create bespoke luxury Tesla interiors using Banbū Leather, a type of vegan leather that is “buttery-soft like lambskin, scratch-resistant, stain-resistant, water-resistant, lightweight,” and made from bamboo.
With the collaboration between von Holzhausen and Unplugged Performance in place, Tesla owners could now have their vehicles’ interiors made to their individual preferences. Everything, from the color of the leather to stitch detail preferences, stitch thread color options, and perforations, could be customized. In a way, the collaboration between the Tesla Chief Designer’s materials company and the veteran EV tuner is quite a bit like Porsche’s Exclusive Manufaktur program, which allows owners to customize practically everything about their vehicles.
Bespoke Tesla interiors require a lot of work, and thus, owners who wish to get their vehicles done by von Holzhausen and Unplugged Performance should be prepared to pay a premium. Bespoke, handmade von Holzhausen interiors are priced at $29,995 all-in, while custom interiors using von Holzhausen, Alcantara, and other premium vegan materials extended across the entire vehicle begin at $39,995. Special requests from customers are also accommodated.
So far, build slots are open in winter 2022 for North America. Interested customers have the option of purchasing a new car from Tesla and having it delivered to them already with a bespoke von Holzhausen x Unplugged Performance interior. Drivers who already own a Tesla may also have their existing vehicles upgraded. Interested owners are required to pay a fully-refundable $500 deposit to secure a reservation and begin consultation for their unique handmade Tesla interior.
Bespoke von Holzhausen x Unplugged Performance interior packages are currently available for the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y. Customized interiors are also coming to upcoming vehicles like the next-generation Tesla Roadster and the Cybertruck.
Those who wish to check out von Holzhausen and Unplugged Performance’s bespoke Tesla interiors can click here.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
News
Ford CEO favors Waymo’s LiDAR approach over Tesla’s vision-only self-driving
Farley stated that Waymo’s LiDAR-based approach made “more sense.”

Ford CEO Jim Farley shared some skepticism about Tesla’s camera-only approach to self-driving during a recent appearance at the Aspen Ideas Festival. When asked to compare Waymo and Tesla’s autonomous driving systems, Farley stated that Waymo’s LiDAR-based approach made “more sense,” citing safety, consumer trust, and the limitations of camera-based models.
Waymo’s LiDAR vs. Tesla’s Vision-Only Approach
Farley was speaking with author Walter Isaacson when he made his comments about Tesla and Waymo’s self-driving systems. As they were conversing about autonomous cars, Isaacson asked Farley which approach to self-driving he preferred.
“To us, Waymo,” Farley said, though he also stated that both Tesla and Waymo have “ made a lot of of progress” on self-driving, as noted in a Fortune report. He also confirmed that he has had conversations about the matter with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Despite this, he said that Ford still considers LiDAR as a pivotal part of autonomous driving.
“When you have a brand like Ford, when there’s a new technology, you have to be really careful. We really believe that LiDAR is mission critical… Where the camera will be completely blinded, the LiDAR system will see exactly what’s in front of you,” the Ford CEO stated.
Tesla and Ford’s self-driving plans
Tesla recently launched a limited Robotaxi service in Austin, which uses autonomous cars with safety monitors in the front passenger seat. While controversial, Musk has maintained that Tesla’s vision-only approach will ultimately prove safer and more cost-effective in the long term. Tesla seems to be making headway towards this goal, with Musk stating recently that the first Model Y has been delivered autonomously to a customer in Austin.
Ford, for his part, is not pursuing its own fully autonomous, urban-driving system anymore. Instead, the company is focusing on “high-speed, eyes-off” experiences like BlueCruise. Ford does plan to partner with a company that has achieved true autonomous driving in the future, as soon as the technology is available.
Elon Musk
A Tesla just delivered itself to a customer autonomously, Elon Musk confirms
Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the first self-delivery occurred today, one day ahead of schedule.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that a vehicle has, for the first time ever, delivered itself to a customer autonomously, one day ahead of the company’s original schedule.
To date, this is the first car to ever roll off a production line at a factory and transport itself to a customer for delivery.
Late last month, Musk announced that the first-ever fully autonomous delivery of a Tesla would take place on June 28. The plan was to have the car roll off the production lines at Gigafactory Texas and drive to a local customer without the assistance of anyone on board or remotely controlling the car through teleoperation.
Teslas will self-deliver to customers, Elon Musk says: here’s when
Musk said on Friday that it has officially happened:
🚨 Elon Musk confirms the first Tesla to self-deliver to a customer has happened, one day ahead of schedule! https://t.co/Zvb9y4m0uu
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) June 27, 2025
The vehicle traveled as fast as 72 miles per hour, according to Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Head of AI and Autopilot.
Musk continued on X:
“There were no people in the car at all and no remote operators in control at any point. FULLY autonomous! To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fully autonomous drive with no people in the car or remotely operating the car on a public highway.”
He said a video of the delivery would be uploaded soon.
We have seen cars autonomously transport themselves from production line to logistics lot at Gigafactory Texas, but this is a whole new level.
Tesla’s Giga Texas vehicles now drive themselves to outbound lot
Tesla just recently launched its Robotaxi for the first time in Austin on Sunday. Opened to a limited number of people, the company rolled out an Early Access Riders Program, but has been expanding it to more people in recent days. These cars featured a Safety Monitor in the passenger’s seat to ensure safety.
This seems to be something Tesla would like to perform more frequently in the coming months, especially locally. Eventually, it seems that Tesla will plan to have every vehicle it manufactures self-deliver, as a hauler would transport it to local delivery centers, then the car would drive itself to the customer’s house.
This is likely a few years off, but Tesla has already completed one self-delivery, which is an incredible accomplishment.
Yesterday, I wrote about Tesla’s two big milestones that are still planned for launch before the end of Q2. This was one of them. One to go: unveiling of the affordable models.
News
Tesla dispels reports that it hired ex-Cruise Autonomy head Henry Kuang
Tesla has denied reports that it hired former head of GM’s Cruise Henry Kuang.

Tesla has dispelled reports that it has hired ex-Cruise Head of Autonomy Henry Kuang.
This morning, several media outlets reported that Tesla had filled the position of Director of AI and Deep Learning for Autonomous Driving with Kuang, who was the Head of Autonomy at General Motors’ failed autonomous vehicle company, Cruise.
The rumor then circulated to X, but Tesla has now denied that those reports are true.
Tesla’s Head of Autopilot and AI, Ashok Elluswamy, revealed that the reports are false:
fake news
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) June 27, 2025
It would be easy to see how the hire might have been construed as real. Someone appears to have created a fake LinkedIn profile for Kuang, listing the new role at Tesla as their latest career move. The account appeared legitimate and bore all the hallmarks of a genuine page for Kuang, but it has since been removed from the site.
Additionally, there has been some rather high-level turnover at Tesla in recent days. The company recently let go of Omead Afshar, who was widely recognized as CEO Elon Musk’s right-hand man. Afshar assumed the role of North American sales head and European operations head late last year. He has been relieved of his duties, according to a Bloomberg report.
Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports
Alongside the loss of Afshar, Tesla’s Human Resources Head in Austin, Jenna Ferrua, also left the company this week.
This past week, Tesla launched its Robotaxi platform to a handful of people, marking the first time the company has given driverless rides to members of the public.
-
News3 days ago
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest challenge seems to be this one thing
-
News2 weeks ago
SpaceX produces its 10 millionth Starlink kit
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla Robotaxi just got a big benefit from the U.S. government
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla confirms massive hardware change for autonomy improvement
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla retires yoke steering wheel in base Model S and X
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla features used to flunk 16-year-old’s driver license test
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla China roars back with highest vehicle registrations this Q2 so far
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla’s Grok integration will be more realistic with this cool feature