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Tesla introduces ‘Annual Awards’ in latest Referral Program: VIP event access, P100D
Not one to waste any time, Tesla is back with a seventh Referral Program this time introducing an ‘Annual Award’ that will be given to Tesla owners who refer the most Model S and Model X sales by the end of the year.
Details for Tesla’s latest Referral Program were posted to the company’s site shortly after the previous incentive program reached its January 15 end of day expiration. Incidentally, January 15 is also the deadline to the Silicon Valley electric car company’s free lifetime Supercharger policy. Model S and Model X vehicles ordered after this date will be given 400 kWh of Supercharger credits, per year, after which usage will be billed under a new fee structure.
Tesla’s new referral program will be broken down into a ‘Current Phase’ – which will reward owners that refer the most sales between January 16 and March 15, 2017, prizes – and an annual award that will gift winning owners with exclusive VIP access to events, VIP concierge service, a complimentary weekend getaway at a Tesla destination charging resort, and more.
The top prize for winning the Annual Award will be given to the first person within each sales region — North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific — that refers 20 sales. The winner will be rewarded a Ludicrous Tesla Model S or Tesla Model X P100D.
Also, worth noting is Tesla’s mention of a ‘Model 3 delivery event’ under the Current Phase program. Existing owners that make 7 or more qualifying referral sales will receive an invitation to attend the Model 3 delivery event.
Full details of Tesla’s seventh referral program, good between January 16 to March 15, 2017, is outlined in its entirety below.
If you’ve enjoyed visiting our site and seeing our live behind the scenes coverage of events, please consider using our referral code for $1,000 off the purchase of your Model S and Model X. Your support helps us with content production. We’re particularly interested in bringing your the first photos of the Elon Musk-signed Red Powerwall 2.0.
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Referral Program (Jan. 16 to Mar. 15, 2017)
Customers who order a new Model S or Model X using the referral link of a Tesla owner will get a $1,000 credit towards the purchase price. To show our appreciation, referring owners will be eligible for our Referral Program awards.
Current Phase
Owners can refer up to 8 friends during the current phase of the program, lasting from January 16 to March 15, 2017.
7+ Qualifying Referrals
Owners who make 7 qualifying referrals will receive an invitation for themselves and a guest to attend our Model 3 delivery event.
5+ Qualifying Referrals
Those who make 5 or more qualifying referrals will receive an exclusive red Founders Series Powerwall 2. This limited edition Powerwall is not available to the public.
3+ Qualifying Referrals
Those who make 3 qualifying referrals will receive a Founders Series Tesla Model S for Kids. This miniature driveable electric Model S includes working headlights, sound system, and charge port.
2+ Qualifying Referrals
Those who make 2 or more referrals will receive a rolling Tesla carry-on.
Ludicrous P100D Model S or Model X
Each qualified referral customers make gives them an additional entry into a drawing to win their choice of either a Ludicrous P100D Model S or Model X.
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Annual Awards
Owners will now also receive exclusive benefits and awards throughout the year, based on their total number of referrals from January 16, 2017.
First to 20 Per Region – Ludicrous P100D Model S or Model X
The first person to refer 20 friends starting from January 16 in each sales region— North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific — will receive a P100D Model S or Model X. They will be invited to configure their award once all 20 friends have taken delivery of their new Tesla vehicles.
20+ Qualifying Referrals
Those who make 20 qualifying referrals will receive a weekend getaway at a destination charging resort as well as the ability to swap their car with the latest Tesla of their choice for a week.
15+ Qualifying Referrals
Those who make 15 qualifying referrals will receive exclusive priority access and benefits lasting until December 31, 2018, including:
VIP Concierge – 24/7 access via phone for assistance with all ownership matters
VIP access to Tesla events
10 overnight test drive passes for friends and family
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10 passes for 4 to tour Tesla’s Fremont Factory
We know that without our customers we would not be where we are today. This is our way of thanking you for your support in building the Tesla community and accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
Limits
Related order must be placed between January 16, 2017 and March 15, 2017 to qualify for current phase awards, and after January 16, 2017 to qualify for annual awards. Referrals must be delivered before awards are redeemed. Pre-owned vehicles are not eligible. Limit of 8 referrals per owner until March 15, 2017.
Must be at least 18 years old to be eligible for awards. No entry fee, payment or purchase required for the drawing. A random drawing will be held on or around March 31, 2017 to determine the winner. The winner will be contacted thereafter. Awards are non-transferable and not redeemable for cash. The winner is responsible for all taxes and local requirements and fees. Program and awards are conditional on and subject to local laws and regulations. Unfortunately, Ohio and Virginia residents are not eligible for awards.
The customer is not an employee, legal representative or partner of Tesla or any Affiliate of Tesla. Nothing in the Referral Program shall be deemed to create any kind of (commercial) relationship between Supplier and Tesla or any of Tesla’s Affiliates. The customer has no authority to represent or bind Tesla.
Good Faith
We introduce programs such as these in good faith and expect the same good faith in return. Please note that we may withhold awards where we believe customers are acting in bad faith or otherwise acting contrary to the intent of this program. To be clear, commercializing or otherwise selling referral codes is not appropriate, and we will not honor such codes. We cannot cover every nefarious scenario, nor will we attempt to, but we do promise to be fair and reasonable.
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Tesla has started to deploy the 2026 Summer Update to owners across its fleet, and among the biggest changes are improvements to Navigation, a new startup animation for the Model 3 and Model Y, Caraoke scoring, and new capabilities for Grok.
As the update has started making its way to some cars, we can now see a few of the features operating in real-time. We will show you what some of the new features look like in this article, along with some additional details on what changed.
Not all of the new features in the 2026 Summer Update have quite made an appearance, but some of them have, so we’ll show those here:
New Animation Screen for 3/Y
Tesla is rolling out a new startup animation for Tesla Model 3 and Model Y owners. This is present in Launch Edition and Performance Model 3 and Model Y, but other trim levels do not have anything like this.
The new animation screen on Model 3/Y with the 2026 Summer Update
Apparently color will also be customizable: pic.twitter.com/wSdwggtG3S
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 27, 2026
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Owners can adjust the color associated with the startup animation to suit their preferences. It is a surprise that more automakers do not focus on this animation for their vehicles; it can be a great first impression piece and make the car immediately feel more luxurious.
Tesla has included this on more premium trims, but it is nice to see it on the Model 3 and Model Y.
Grok Improvements
Grok can now adjust more things in the car outside of the Navigation system. Now, drivers can adjust anything from climate to driving settings by simply speaking to the AI assistant in the car:
@Tesla‘s AI assistant (Grok) with its new vehicle commands in action.
Set the climate, your destination and vehicle settings all in one go! pic.twitter.com/0bBTqaAk6G
— Not a Tesla App (@NotATeslaApp) July 28, 2026
You don’t even have to push a button, either. Instead, you can just say “Hey, Grok,” if you have it enabled. That feature rolled out with the 2026 Spring Update just a few months back.
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This is a great feature, especially pertinent for the Robotaxi platform, as there will be no buttons inside the Cybercab when it eventually starts giving rides to the public. It also broadens Grok’s capabilities, which were relatively limited in terms of vehicle setting adjustments beforehand.
Tesla briefly offered one Robotaxi part in its Parts Catalog for your personal car, only to remove it just a short time after it was first noticed.
Tesla’s Robotaxi camera washer apparatus was briefly available for purchase on the company’s Online Parts Catalog. The camera washer was first noticed on Model Y Robotaxi vehicles about six months ago in Austin.
🚨 Tesla looks to have installed Camera Washers on the side repeater cameras on Robotaxis in Austin
pic.twitter.com/xemRtDtlRR— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 23, 2026
First noticed by Not a Tesla App, the Camera Washer entries appeared for the new “Juniper” Model Y under a category called “Halo,” which has also now disappeared. Interestingly, Halo probably is related to Tesla’s internal “Project Halo,” which was a project that aimed to retrofit customer-owned Model Ys into functional Robotaxis.
This hardware addition would likely be required for the vehicle to operate as a Robotaxi, as the Camera Washer seems to be a non-negotiable part of the vision-based system Tesla utilizes for self-driving efforts.
However, this part has since been removed and is no longer visible on the EPC.
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Now the true question lingers: Why would Tesla add this Camera Washer to the Model Y parts catalog? Is it planning to make it available for owners to utilize on their own cars for personal use, or will it become a prerequisite for Robotaxi operation in customer-owned cars?
While discussing the upgrade options for Hardware 3 vehicles during the Q1 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had said that the company could establish small, satellite shops that would upgrade cameras and self-driving computers. Perhaps this same strategy could be utilized for vehicles that want to be included in Robotaxi but do not have the correct hardware.
AI4 is currently represented as capable of unsupervised self-driving, and the same was said about HW3 at one point, only for Tesla to admit last quarter that it would, unfortunately, not be possible. Perhaps AI4 vehicles might need this camera washer as a prerequisite, just as HW3 cars will need that camera and computer upgrade.
This could be the first hint of that’s where we are headed.
Tesla has started rolling out a broader change to the ride experience for its Robotaxi fleet by silencing turn signals, but the change is certainly polarizing.
Tesla has generally made it clear that its purpose-built ride-hailing platform, Robotaxi, will cater to the rider in nearly every way possible. This includes having climate preferences, music, and other personal settings loaded up in the car as the rider enters.
But Tesla is taking it a step further by muting turn signal chimes altogether, a change that appears to be a way to make the ride more peaceful:
Tesla has finally turned off the blinker/turn signal noises in their Model Y Robotaxis.
This is a small update, but will definitely be noticeable for riders. It didn’t really make much sense to leave the turn signal sound on when it’s Unsupervised. pic.twitter.com/ITwx60PAMO
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 27, 2026
However, there are a handful of people who are not thrilled about this change. Turn signals are a conditioned part of the human mind for those who ride in a car regularly.
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Taking a turn without one feels strange and odd, and not hearing it click while activated could set off some alarms for riders, who might use the noise as confirmation that other drivers know of their intention to turn.
I kind of like it being on, threw me off when riding with Zoox who has had it disabled
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) July 27, 2026
Turn signal noises are still audible in customer cars, so if you use FSD in your personal vehicle, you will still hear the turn signal.
The move is certainly one that is unique, but not one that separates it from other ride-sharing services. In a normal car, the clicking sound confirms to the driver that the blinker is active. In a fully driverless Robotaxi, that feedback serves no purpose for passengers, other than peace of mind.
Tesla Summer Update begins rolling out: a look at the new features
Tesla briefly offered this Robotaxi part for your personal car
