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First close-up look at Tesla’s Model 3 interior in production-ready form
Following this week’s sighting of a very refined looking blue Tesla Model 3 driving near the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, the vehicle was sighted once again this time giving us a first close-up look at a very production-ready Model 3 interior.
The blue Tesla Model 3 was spotted on Thursday shortly before 4pm local time driving away from Tesla HQ and coming to a stop at the intersection of Arastradero road and Purrsima. It’s the very same road we first captured on video a black Model 3 doing a very spirited drive with a BMW chase car. However, unlike previous sightings of the highly anticipated electric car, Thursday’s sighting takes place while being directly next to the vehicle.
Teslarati obtained the following never-before-seen photos showing a close-up look at what’s presumably the final version of the Model 3 dashboard. As noted by Chief Elon Musk earlier this month, the dashboard doesn’t have a heads up display – much to the disappointment of HUD hopefuls worldwide. Noticeably present is the large landscape mounted center infotainment system which will also act as the main command center to the vehicle. The thin touchscreen device framed by what appears to be a hard plastic bezel with rounded corners rests several inches away from a shallow dashboard.
Tesla Model 3 drivers will not have an instrument cluster with speedometer. After all, Elon Musk says “you won’t care“. Nor will there be a “hump” on the dashboard in front of the steering wheel. Some Tesla community members speculated that there would be some form of an instrument cluster, after seeing a rounded dashboard protrusion appear on a rendering showing a Tesla Model 3 under a Supercharger with solar canopy.
In its place is a streamlined and simple looking horizontal strip of seemingly functionless interior trim. With the expectation that Model 3 will one day be fully self-driving, Tesla could eventually use the area as a storage compartment for passengers in the non-driving driver’s seat.
A large digital readout resembling that of an oversized analog speedometer appears on the left side of the infotainment system and occupies nearly a third of the overall screen size.
Also seen in our spy shots is a bamboo style interior finish that’s currently not available on either the Model S or Model X. The interior trim decor is angled on a downward slope away from the vehicle’s ventilation system that’s located directly above and runs the full width of the dashboard.
We’re also getting a clear look at how the steering wheel is mounted which swoops in and around the bottom section of the dashboard.
The center console of the Model 3 remains largely the same as early Alpha cars that we’ve seen. Two cupholders have been provisioned into the center console storage unit which appears to have pull handles similar to that of the Model S and Model X console.
Lastly, we’re seeing what appears to be the final trunk and glass roof design. Though black tape is seen across the entire car masking off any gaps between body panels and doors – presumably as engineers perform quality assurance wind testing – the Model 3, overall, appears to be very well-finished.
The rear defroster lines can be seen on the rear windshield leading to two unknown circular marks on the glass roof. A horizontal rear brake light can be seen mounted towards the bottom of the rear windshield.
Musk has said that the first deliveries of Model 3 will be the simpler rear wheel drive configuration followed by the dual motor variant and performance version in late 2017 and into 2018. With only a couple of months left before Tesla is expected to begin low volume production of the first Model 3 variants, we suspect that there will be very few updates, if any, to come. Tesla is expected to hold a Model 3 launch event in July.
Have you spotted a Model 3? Be sure to send us a tip at tips@teslarati.com or DM us on @Twitter or Facebook.
A big thanks to Wayne for providing Teslarati with the following exclusive photos. We’ve stitched together Wayne’s photos to create an animation that shows his perspective of the oncoming Model 3.
News
Tesla FSD v14.2.2 is getting rave reviews from drivers
So far, early testers have reported buttery-smooth drives with confident performance, even at night or on twisty roads.
Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2 is receiving positive reviews from owners, with several drivers praising the build’s lack of hesitation during lane changes and its smoother decision-making, among others.
The update, which started rolling out on Monday, also adds features like dynamic arrival pin adjustment. So far, early testers have reported buttery-smooth drives with confident performance, even at night or on twisty roads.
Owners highlight major improvements
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD user @BLKMDL3 shared a detailed 10-hour impression of FSD v14.2.2, noting that the system exhibited “zero lane change hesitation” and “extremely refined” lane choices. He praised Mad Max mode’s performance, stellar parking in locations including ticket dispensers, and impressive canyon runs even in dark conditions.
Fellow FSD user Dan Burkland reported an hour of FSD v14.2.2’s nighttime driving with “zero hesitations” and “buttery smooth” confidence reminiscent of Robotaxi rides in areas such as Austin, Texas. Veteran FSD user Whole Mars Catalog also demonstrated voice navigation via Grok, while Tesla owner Devin Olsen completed a nearly two-hour drive with FSD v14.2.2 in heavy traffic and rain with strong performance.
Closer to unsupervised
FSD has been receiving rave reviews, even from Tesla’s competitors. Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng, for one, offered fresh praise for FSD v14.2 after visiting Silicon Valley. Following extended test drives of Tesla vehicles running the latest FSD software, He stated that the system has made major strides, reinforcing his view that Tesla’s approach to autonomy is indeed the proper path towards autonomy.
According to He, Tesla’s FSD has evolved from a smooth Level 2 advanced driver assistance system into what he described as a “near-Level 4” experience in terms of capabilities. While acknowledging that areas of improvement are still present, the Xpeng CEO stated that FSD’s current iteration significantly surpasses last year’s capabilities. He also reiterated his belief that Tesla’s strategy of using the same autonomous software and hardware architecture across private vehicles and robotaxis is the right long-term approach, as it would allow users to bypass intermediate autonomy stages and move closer to Level 4 functionality.
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Elon Musk’s Grok AI to be used in U.S. War Department’s bespoke AI platform
The partnership aims to provide advanced capabilities to 3 million military and civilian personnel.
The U.S. Department of War announced Monday an agreement with Elon Musk’s xAI to embed the company’s frontier artificial intelligence systems, powered by the Grok family of models, into the department’s bespoke AI platform GenAI.mil.
The partnership aims to provide advanced capabilities to 3 million military and civilian personnel, with initial deployment targeted for early 2026 at Impact Level 5 (IL5) for secure handling of Controlled Unclassified Information.
xAI Integration
As noted by the War Department’s press release, GenAI.mil, its bespoke AI platform, will gain xAI for the Government’s suite of tools, which enable real-time global insights from the X platform for “decisive information advantage.” The rollout builds on xAI’s July launch of products for U.S. government customers, including federal, state, local, and national security use cases.
“Targeted for initial deployment in early 2026, this integration will allow all military and civilian personnel to use xAI’s capabilities at Impact Level 5 (IL5), enabling the secure handling of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in daily workflows. Users will also gain access to real‑time global insights from the X platform, providing War Department personnel with a decisive information advantage,” the Department of War wrote in a press release.
Strategic advantages
The deal marks another step in the Department of War’s efforts to use cutting-edge AI in its operations. xAI, for its part, highlighted that its tools can support administrative tasks at the federal, state and local levels, as well as “critical mission use cases” at the front line of military operations.
“The War Department will continue scaling an AI ecosystem built for speed, security, and decision superiority. Newly IL5-certified capabilities will empower every aspect of the Department’s workforce, turning AI into a daily operational asset. This announcement marks another milestone in America’s AI revolution, and the War Department is driving that momentum forward,” the War Department noted.
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) v14.2.2 starts rolling out
The update focuses on smoother real-world performance, better obstacle awareness, and precise end-of-trip routing, among other improvements.
Tesla has started rolling out Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2, bringing further refinements to its most advanced driver-assist system. The new FSD update focuses on smoother real-world performance, better obstacle awareness, and precise end-of-trip routing, among other improvements.
Key FSD v14.2.2 improvements
As noted by Not a Tesla App, FSD v14.2.2 upgrades the vision encoder neural network with higher resolution features, enhancing detection of emergency vehicles, road obstacles, and human gestures. New Arrival Options let users select preferred drop-off styles, such as Parking Lot, Street, Driveway, Parking Garage, or Curbside, with the navigation pin automatically adjusting to the user’s ideal spot for precision.
Other additions include pulling over for emergency vehicles, real-time vision-based detours for blocked roads, improved gate and debris handling, and extreme Speed Profiles for customized driving styles. Reliability gains cover fault recovery, residue alerts on the windshield, and automatic narrow-field camera washing for new 2026 Model Y units.
FSD v14.2.2 also boosts unprotected turns, lane changes, cut-ins, and school bus scenarios, among other things. Tesla also noted that users’ FSD statistics will be saved under Controls > Autopilot, which should help drivers easily view how much they are using FSD in their daily drives.
Key FSD v14.2.2 release notes
Full Self-Driving (Supervised) v14.2.2 includes:
- Upgraded the neural network vision encoder, leveraging higher resolution features to further improve scenarios like handling emergency vehicles, obstacles on the road, and human gestures.
- Added Arrival Options for you to select where FSD should park: in a Parking Lot, on the Street, in a Driveway, in a Parking Garage, or at the Curbside.
- Added handling to pull over or yield for emergency vehicles (e.g. police cars, fire trucks, ambulances).
- Added navigation and routing into the vision-based neural network for real-time handling of blocked roads and detours.
- Added additional Speed Profile to further customize driving style preference.
- Improved handling for static and dynamic gates.
- Improved offsetting for road debris (e.g. tires, tree branches, boxes).
- Improve handling of several scenarios, including unprotected turns, lane changes, vehicle cut-ins, and school buses.
- Improved FSD’s ability to manage system faults and recover smoothly from degraded operation for enhanced reliability.
- Added alerting for residue build-up on interior windshield that may impact front camera visibility. If affected, visit Service for cleaning!
- Added automatic narrow field washing to provide rapid and efficient front camera self-cleaning, and optimize aerodynamics wash at higher vehicle speed.
- Camera visibility can lead to increased attention monitoring sensitivity.
Upcoming Improvements:
- Overall smoothness and sentience.
- Parking spot selection and parking quality.
Tesla FSD v14.2.2 is getting rave reviews from drivers
Elon Musk’s Grok AI to be used in U.S. War Department’s bespoke AI platform
