Tesla’s Master Plan Part 3 detailed the final portions of how the electric automaker plans to influence and dominate the global market through sustainability. It featured plans for mass production of a new compact model, volume projections for the Cybertruck, and new details on other commercial vehicles, but it was void of the Roadster.
The Tesla Roadster has been one of the company’s crown jewels, but it has been teased for so many years that some fans are wondering if it will ever actually reach production.
In the third iteration of the Master Plan, Tesla broadened its scope for how it can achieve a monumental transition to sustainable powertrains across the entire market, but also how it can achieve a mass production forecast of its entire vehicle lineup.
It featured key contributors to that plan, which include the heavily rumored compact sedan that could be built at its upcoming Gigafactory in Mexico, as well as commercial vehicle applications like a van and two different pack sizes for the Semi.
What it was void of, however, is the Roadster, and the fact that the Master Plan Part 3 was geared toward Tesla’s long-term goals and major contributors to how it can help the world achieve a sustainable future may be the very reason it was not included.
The Roadster is an extremely low-volume vehicle. It costs $250,000, it is apparently going to feature SpaceX cold-gas thrusters for face-melting acceleration, it might have hovering capabilities, but its production has always been derailed by some sort of circumstance beyond Tesla’s control.
Set to make its first deliveries in 2021, the Roadster was put on the back burner, no pun intended, by the COVID-19 pandemic, which basically disrupted nearly every company in the sector in some way. With Tesla looking to survive supply chain constraints and fulfill orders for its vehicles, the Roadster simply was not a priority. Tesla pushed production back to 2022.
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Tesla Roadster 2.0 to be better on “basically every metric” than prototype
2022 came and went, and CEO Elon Musk detailed late last year that the vehicle could come this year, as long as Tesla avoided supply chain “mega drama.”
But it seems the Roadster won’t be here this year, either. Tesla will instead focus on Cybertruck production and ramping up its factories for mass electrification, and the Roadster simply does not fit those plans.
Chief Designer for Tesla Franz von Holzhausen said recently that Tesla was in the process of developing the Roadster, but it just won’t make it to the production phases this year:
“We’re developing the car. I think you know we have priorities as a company, and the priorities are mass electrification. And Roadster is not a mass product. So, unfortunately, you know it takes its kind of position, but we are working on it in earnest. And I think the time that we’ve taken had enabled us to really improve on basically every metric that we set out to establish when we first debuted that.”
Last evening’s release of the Master Plan Part 3 revealed a lot of details, but the global fleet only included mass-market vehicles that will contribute to the company’s plan to increase the volume of cars it puts on the road.
Credit: Tesla
The Roadster simply does not fit those plans, so don’t be discouraged if you’re awaiting any updates on its production.
Nevertheless, there is reason to be slightly frustrated with the timeline of the vehicle, especially as it continues to be pushed back for a multitude of reasons. We can only hope the vehicle will be out within the next few years, and even if it is slightly different than what was shown in 2020 and what some customers are expecting.
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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
