Lifestyle
Tesla fan gets surprise Model 3 delivery by Franz von Holzhausen
Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen gave the ultimate surprise after personally delivering a Model 3 to its new owner on the day of vehicle pickup. The story, shared by Tesla Motors Club member Andre Mercier, involved the Tesla executive making a random visit to the Marina Del Rey delivery center and personally delivering a Model 3 to a delighted and excited would-be owner.
According to Andre, he went over to the Marina Del Rey delivery center last week, where he was looking forward to receiving his white Model 3 with Aero Wheels. As soon as he finished signing the paperwork for his electric car, one of the delivery center’s employees quipped that “Franz (was) going to take him to the car.” The new owner candidly admitted that at first, he thought there was probably just a delivery specialist in the Marina Del Rey center named Franz.
“Franz, as in, von Holzhausen?! The man who designed every Tesla since the Model S?! That would be amazing, but that can’t be right. There must just be another delivery specialist here named Franz,” Andre wrote on the Tesla Motors Club forum.
His skepticism turned into surprise, and later, excitement, however, when the Franz von Holzhausen showed up, shook hands with him, and walked him to his car. Here are some pictures from the Model 3 special delivery.
- Tesla Chief Designer recently made a Model 3 delivery very special. [Credit: Andre Mercier/Tesla Motors Club]
- Tesla Chief Designer recently made a Model 3 delivery very special. [Credit: Andre Mercier/Tesla Motors Club]
- Tesla Chief Designer recently made a Model 3 delivery very special. [Credit: Andre Mercier/Tesla Motors Club]
Shared with permission from Andre
According to the Tesla fan, Franz took a lot of time explaining the features of the electric car to him, with Tesla’s Chief Designer spending roughly 45 minutes giving a thorough tutorial of the Model 3’s features. Andre stated that he eventually asked Franz to sign his car’s dashboard, but the designer declined, saying that it was “way too beautiful” for him to write on. Franz opted to sign the Model 3’s sunshade and the case of the 1:43 die-cast giveaway instead.
Overall, Andre Mercier’s Model 3 delivery experience became incredibly memorable. According to the Tesla enthusiast, the Chief Designer admitted that while he rarely does personal deliveries, he just loves seeing how Tesla’s creations excite people.
“I love to see the excitement from people like you and share what we’ve created.”
There are many reasons why Tesla’s supporters love the company. One of these, however, is definitely the down-to-earth nature of its executives. Last month, a member of the r/TeslaMotors subreddit noted how he met JB Straubel, Tesla’s Chief Technical Officer, by accident. During their brief conversation, the executive simply introduced himself as an “engineer” who works on Tesla’s electric cars.
As we noted in a report back in January, Franz von Holzhausen also gave Dr. Matthew Chan, a Tesla advocate fighting cancer, an extended meet-and-greet and a personalized tour of the Fremont factory. During the visit, which was organized through the Tesla community’s efforts, the Chief Designer spent an hour conversing with Dr. Chan, before taking him for a test drive on a Model 3. The cancer warrior’s tour also included an unexpected meet-and-greet with CEO Elon Musk, who politely spoke with Dr. Chan before heading into the factory.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s mirrorless Cybercab will give riders a visibility upgrade
Tesla engineer confirms Cybercab update letting riders pull up rear and repeater cameras on demand.
Tesla is working on a Cybercab update that would let passengers pull up the vehicle’s rear and side cameras on demand, and the request came straight from a rider.
The exchange played out on X late Friday. Cybercab rider Dan Burkland shared photos of the two-seater’s cabin screen after an evening ride, praised the UI team’s work, and left one request: let riders open the rear and repeater cameras whenever they want, “especially for peace of mind.” Tesla UI software engineer Evan (@CarCoder) answered with two words: “In development.”
The Tesla UI team absolutely crushed it with the infotainment software. Nicely done @CarCoder!
One feature request: Allow folks to pull up the rear & repeater cameras on demand. This would be great especially for peace of mind. https://t.co/mNAOSLx6pE
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) October 10, 2026
The idea fits a pattern Teslarati has tracked since public rides began. Days after paid Cybercab service opened in Austin, Tesla sent riders a survey that asked them to rate the touchscreen, the app and the cabin, and to pick the features they wanted most. We reported on that survey in September, and a camera view is the kind of small software change Tesla can push quickly if riders keep asking.
It also speaks to something unique about the vehicle. With no steering wheel, no pedals and no driver, passengers have no mirror to check and no way to see behind them. The hardware is clearly built for camera awareness, from the repeater cameras to the rear camera. Letting a passenger look through those same cameras would give a nervous first time rider a way to confirm what is around the car.
The timing matters because the fleet is growing fast. Tesla’s Robotaxi account said on Saturday that more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, an eightfold increase in 30 days, and Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy named Dallas as the next city. More cars and more cities mean more people riding in a driverless vehicle for the first time, which is exactly when small trust features carry weight.
For now, the feature is confirmed only as in development. If Tesla follows its usual pattern with Cybercab software, riders could see it appear in a point release without any announcement, and Teslarati will watch for it.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s surprise addition to the X Takeover lineup has fans talking
Elon Musk will join Saturday’s X Takeover at Giga Texas for a live virtual interview.
Elon Musk will join X Takeover at Giga Texas on Saturday for a live virtual interview, according to Sawyer Merritt, who shared the news late Thursday. Musk will not be on stage in Austin. The conversation is set to stream for free on the @teslaownersSV account on X.
Organizers had kept expectations in check. In a September update, Tesla Owners Silicon Valley said Musk had appeared at the event twice before but was not promising a third appearance, even as fans hoped he would walk the Giga Texas grounds in person. A virtual spot matches 2024, when Musk gave a surprise interview of about an hour to the crowd in San Luis Obispo, as Teslarati reported at the time.
Wasn’t expecting this 🫡
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 9, 2026
This year’s edition is a first in several ways. It is the first X Takeover held outside California and the first at a Tesla facility, with tickets selling out in eight days. Tesla provides the venue, but the event is produced independently by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley. The main event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, followed by a drone and light show at 9 p.m. Maye Musk is the keynote speaker, Franz von Holzhausen is set for a virtual keynote, and Nicki Minaj is the special guest. Joe Tegtmeyer, whose drone footage Teslarati used to track the Optimus factory steel frame at Giga Texas, is also on the speaker list.
Musk’s interview topics have not been revealed, but the backdrop is busy. Tesla doubled its Cybercab fleet in Austin in late September, and last week Musk explained why Robotaxi hours only moved from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.. Merritt also reported Thursday that Texas DMV records now show 319 registered Cybercabs, up from 169. NHTSA’s deadline for Tesla’s sworn answers on Cybercab certification is October 30, and Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21.
Fans who cannot make it to Austin can watch the livestream on X. Musk tends to say more in unscripted settings than he does in prepared remarks, which is the reason this one is worth having open on Saturday.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Boring Company lands a new Middle East deal, and Nashville is about to get faster
The Boring Company signs Abu Dhabi tunnel agreement while adding more Prufrock machines in Nashville.
The Boring Company has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi to study underground transport and utility tunnels across the emirate, adding a second UAE city to its pipeline as it prepares to also scale up tunneling back home in Nashville.
The deal was signed Thursday at the Liveability and Investment Exhibition (LIVEX 2026) by Boring Company President Steve Davis and Maysarah Mahmoud Salim Eid, director general of the Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC), according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman of the emirate’s Department of Municipalities and Transport, attended the signing.
Under the agreement, the two sides will assess feasibility, delivery and operating models for tunnels that could carry passengers or utilities. They will also look at Abu Dhabi’s potential as a regional hub for tunneling work. The current phase is exploratory, and no construction commitment or project budget has been announced.
“Abu Dhabi provides an ideal environment to explore the next generation of underground infrastructure solutions, supported by its ambitious growth vision and strong commitment to advanced technologies,”
Davis said. He added that the company wants to assess how tunnels can “expand urban capacity more efficiently, and enable better use of available space.”
The timing lines up with the money, considering last month, The Boring Company closed a $3 billion Series D led by the UAE and affiliated investors, valuing the company at $23 billion, as Teslarati reported. That round came with a commitment to build more than 150 kilometers of tunnel across the UAE, separate from the Dubai Loop pilot already under contract with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. That pilot covers 6.4 kilometers and four stations linking DIFC and Dubai Mall at a cost of about $154 million.
Back home, The Boring Company projects in Nashville are also scaling up, with the company telling local NewsChannel 5 that a third Prufrock machine could start digging the Music City Loop in late October. A fourth is also targeted before the end of the year. Two machines are already mining Nashville limestone at the same time, and work is underway on a new launch site for the third.
The company said it has made more than 300 design and performance upgrades to its original Nashville machine. It is also working with property owners on more than 40 planned stations, with approvals in place for a future Nashville International Airport connection, a downtown station near the Music City Center, and stops at residential towers and the JW Marriott.
Construction on the Music City Loop began the same evening Tennessee and federal regulators approved the project’s lease in February, and the company targeted its first operational segment for late 2026. Back in Las Vegas, The Boring Company has said it plans to double its Vegas Loop station count by year’s end.


