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Tesla posts full 2023 Holiday Update features, with some welcome extras
When the release notes of Tesla’s 2023 Holiday Update were posted online, many quickly observed that the features being rolled out in update 2023.44.25 were mostly quality-of-life improvements. This, as well as the lack of new “useful” features, resulted in several Tesla owners complaining on social media about the “lackluster” 2023 Holiday Update.
Amidst the complaints, Tesla software tracker Teslascope clarified that the 2023 Holiday Update release notes do not include specific changes for vehicles that are running Full Self-Driving Beta. The firm also noted that there might be more features coming.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, while responding to a post on X expressing owners’ discontent about the 2023 Holiday Update release notes, also admitted that the EV maker could have done better. “We need to step up our game,” Musk wrote.
We need to step up our game— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 7, 2023
Musk’s post appears to have given Tesla’s software team a push, as the electric vehicle maker has posted the contents of the 2023 Holiday Update on its official X account. As could be seen in the electric vehicle maker’s post, the 2023 Holiday Update appears to have been buffed with several new features.
Apart from the features that have already been leaked, Tesla also noted in its post that the 2023 Holiday Update will include Custom Lock Sounds, which is a fun feature that could replace the horn lock sound of a vehicle with another sound. An image shown by Tesla teases sounds like a screaming goat, a jingle, and a duck’s quack, among others.
Tesla also announced that passengers in the rear seats would now be able to play games on the rear touchscreen. This should go very well with Tesla Arcade’s added compatibility with PS4, PS5, and Xbox Controllers, as well as Rear Screen Bluetooth Headsets, which would likely be appreciated by parents who tend to go on long trips with their children.
The 2023 Holiday Update rolls out next week
Here’s what’s coming…
Custom Lock Sounds
Replace the horn lock sound of your vehicle with another sound—like a screaming goat ?
LAN Party on Wheels
Play your favorite games on the rear touchscreen ?
Rear Screen Bluetooth… pic.twitter.com/Xl2Q6YgS2b— Tesla (@Tesla) December 8, 2023
Perhaps most notable in Tesla’s 2023 Holiday Update announcement, however, is the addition of High Fidelity Park Assist, which allows compatible vehicles to display a 3D reconstruction of their surroundings while parking. This is quite similar to the 360-degree camera parking system found in other vehicles, which also provides a real-time view of a car’s surroundings when parking.
A look at social media posts from EV enthusiasts indicates that the 2023 Holiday Update — with its new features — is now being viewed more favorably by Tesla owners. Some Tesla owners proved particularly excited about High Fidelity Park Assist, while others have shared their appreciation of the whimsical nature of features like Custom Horn Sounds, among others.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads-up.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk confirms xAI’s purchase of five 380 MW natural gas turbines
The deal, which was confirmed by Musk on X, highlights xAI’s effort to aggressively scale its operations.
xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, has purchased five additional 380 MW natural gas turbines from South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility to power its growing supercomputer clusters.
The deal, which was confirmed by Musk on X, highlights xAI’s effort to aggressively scale its operations.
xAI’s turbine deal details
News of xAI’s new turbines was shared on social media platform X, with user @SemiAnalysis_ stating that the turbines were produced by South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility. As noted in an Asian Business Daily report, Doosan Enerbility announced last October that it signed a contract to supply two 380 MW gas turbines for a major U.S. tech company. Doosan later noted in December that it secured an order for three more 380 MW gas turbines.
As per the X user, the gas turbines would power an additional 600,000+ GB200 NVL72 equivalent size cluster. This should make xAI’s facilities among the largest in the world. In a reply, Elon Musk confirmed that xAI did purchase the turbines. “True,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
xAI’s ambitions
Recent reports have indicated that xAI closed an upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, exceeding the initial $15 billion target to fuel rapid infrastructure scaling and AI product development. The funding, as per the AI startup, “will accelerate our world-leading infrastructure buildout, enable the rapid development and deployment of transformative AI products.”
The company also teased the rollout of its upcoming frontier AI model. “Looking ahead, Grok 5 is currently in training, and we are focused on launching innovative new consumer and enterprise products that harness the power of Grok, Colossus, and 𝕏 to transform how we live, work, and play,” xAI wrote in a post on its website.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s xAI closes upsized $20B Series E funding round
xAI announced the investment round in a post on its official website.
xAI has closed an upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, exceeding the initial $15 billion target to fuel rapid infrastructure scaling and AI product development.
xAI announced the investment round in a post on its official website.
A $20 billion Series E round
As noted by the artificial intelligence startup in its post, the Series E funding round attracted a diverse group of investors, including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among others.
Strategic partners NVIDIA and Cisco Investments also continued support for building the world’s largest GPU clusters.
As xAI stated, “This financing will accelerate our world-leading infrastructure buildout, enable the rapid development and deployment of transformative AI products reaching billions of users, and fuel groundbreaking research advancing xAI’s core mission: Understanding the Universe.”
xAI’s core mission
Th Series E funding builds on xAI’s previous rounds, powering Grok advancements and massive compute expansions like the Memphis supercluster. The upsized demand reflects growing recognition of xAI’s potential in frontier AI.
xAI also highlighted several of its breakthroughs in 2025, from the buildout of Colossus I and II, which ended with over 1 million H100 GPU equivalents, and the rollout of the Grok 4 Series, Grok Voice, and Grok Imagine, among others. The company also confirmed that work is already underway to train the flagship large language model’s next iteration, Grok 5.
“Looking ahead, Grok 5 is currently in training, and we are focused on launching innovative new consumer and enterprise products that harness the power of Grok, Colossus, and 𝕏 to transform how we live, work, and play,” xAI wrote.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) stock received a price target update from Pierre Ferragu of Wall Street firm New Street Research, citing the company’s growing lead in self-driving and autonomy.
On Tuesday, Ferragu bumped his price target from $520 to $600, stating that the consensus from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was that Tesla’s lead in autonomy has been sustained, is growing, and sits at a multiple-year lead over its competitors.
CES 2026 validates Tesla’s FSD strategy, but there’s a big lag for rivals: analyst
“The signal from Vegas is loud and clear,” the analyst writes. “The industry isn’t catching up to Tesla; it is actively validating Tesla’s strategy…just with a 12-year lag.”
The note shows that the company’s prowess in vehicle autonomy is being solidified by lagging competitors that claim to have the best method. The only problem is that Tesla’s Vision-based approach, which it adopted back in 2022 with the Model 3 and Model Y initially, has been proven to be more effective than competitors’ approach, which utilizes other technology, such as LiDAR and sensors.
Currently, Tesla shares are sitting at around $433, as the company’s stock price closed at $432.96 on Tuesday afternoon.
Ferragu’s consensus on Tesla shares echoes that of other Wall Street analysts who are bullish on the company’s stock and position within the AI, autonomy, and robotics sector.
Dan Ives of Wedbush wrote in a note in mid-December that he anticipates Tesla having a massive 2026, and could reach a $3 trillion valuation this year, especially with the “AI chapter” taking hold of the narrative at the company.
Ives also said that the big step in the right direction for Tesla will be initiating production of the Cybercab, as well as expanding on the Robotaxi program through the next 12 months:
“…as full-scale volume production begins with the autonomous and robotics roadmap…The company has started to test the all-important Cybercab in Austin over the past few weeks, which is an incremental step towards launching in 2026 with important volume production of Cybercabs starting in April/May, which remains the golden goose in unlocking TSLA’s AI valuation.”
Tesla analyst breaks down delivery report: ‘A step in the right direction’
Tesla has transitioned from an automaker to a full-fledged AI company, and its Robotaxi and Cybercab programs, fueled by the Full Self-Driving suite, are leading the charge moving forward. In 2026, there are major goals the company has outlined. The first is removing Safety Drivers from vehicles in Austin, Texas, one of the areas where it operates a ride-hailing service within the U.S.
Ultimately, Tesla will aim to launch a Level 5 autonomy suite to the public in the coming years.
Elon Musk confirms xAI’s purchase of five 380 MW natural gas turbines
Elon Musk’s xAI closes upsized $20B Series E funding round
