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Near-production Tesla Model X Plaid are being sighted across the US
The Tesla Model X Plaid may not be getting delivered to its customers yet, but the refreshed flagship SUV seems to be well on its way towards being production-ready. This was hinted at by the increasing number of the upcoming vehicle’s sightings across the United States.
Just recently, electric vehicle group The Kilowatts spotted what appeared to be a production-ready Tesla Model X Plaid at the San Francisco International Airport’s parking lot. The vehicle, which was finished in Midnight Silver Metallic paint, featured a dedicated “Plaid’ badge and the company’s new 22” Turbine Wheels. The vehicle did not have plates on it, though images and videos taken on it indicated that the Model X Plaid was fitted with the cream interior option.
This was not the first Model X Plaid that has been spotted in the wild. Last month alone, several refreshed Model X units were spotted across the United States. One of these was a pre-production Model X sighted at a San Francisco Supercharger, which featured black paint, black interior, and the company’s 20″ Cyberstream Wheels. Another refreshed Model X, sighted at the Supercharger in the Emeryville Public Market, featured blue paint and Cyberstream Wheels.
Quite unsurprisingly, every Model X Plaid or Model X refresh sighted in the wild to date featured Tesla’s yoke steering wheel. This was not surprising at all, especially considering Elon Musk’s recent statements on Twitter. As noted by the CEO, Tesla’s newly-refreshed flagship vehicles will only be offered with a steering yoke. Those who are looking to acquire a Model S or Model X with a regular steering wheel would then have to rely on aftermarket providers to retrofit their vehicles.
The Tesla Model X is, in more ways than one, was an exercise in hubris that the EV maker simply learned to master over the years. Over-engineered and overflowing with tech, the Model X was an electric vehicle that Elon Musk has described as the “Faberge Egg of Cars” — one that would likely not be replicated for a very long time. Yet despite this, the Model X is well-loved, and it has gained a reputation as the quintessential Tesla alongside the Model S sedan.
The Model X Plaid would likely be another vehicle that remakes the idea of what an SUV is capable of. With its three high-performance motors with carbon-sleeved rotors that make 1,020 horsepower, the Model X Plaid is capable of going from 0-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds. And if the capabilities of the Model S Plaid are any indication, the hulking all-electric SUV would likely maintain its power even after multiple launches and even if its battery is far from being charged fully. This means that the Model X Plaid, when released, could give some competition to vehicles like the Porsche Taycan Turbo on the quarter-mile.
Watch a video of the new Tesla Model X in the video below.
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Tesla utilizes its ‘Rave Cave’ for new awesome safety feature
Part of the massive interior overhaul of both the Model 3 “Highland” and Model Y “Juniper” was the addition of interior accent lighting to help bring out the mood of the vehicle, increase the customization of the interior, and to create a unique listening experience.
Tesla is utilizing its ‘Rave Cave’ for an awesome new safety feature that will arrive with the upcoming Spring Update for 2026.
Part of the massive interior overhaul of both the Model 3 “Highland” and Model Y “Juniper” was the addition of interior accent lighting to help bring out the mood of the vehicle, increase the customization of the interior, and to create a unique listening experience.
Tesla added a Sync Lights feature that will strobe the accent strips with the beat of the music.
It is one of the most unique and one of the coolest non-functional features of a Tesla, as it does not improve the driving of the vehicle, but makes it a cool and personal addition to the interior.
However, Tesla is going to take it one step further, as the Rave Cave lights will now be used for blind spot recognition. This feature will be added as the Spring 2026 Update starts to roll out.
A lot of CRAZY new features coming with Tesla’s 2026 Spring Update, including a new FSD app!
– Self-Driving App (AI4 hardware): New app in App Launcher > Self-Driving for one-tap FSD subscriptions, activation guides, and ongoing stats.
– “Hey Grok”: Voice-activated Grok with… https://t.co/ljeYPlq9Qt— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 13, 2026
Tesla writes:
“Accent lights now turn red when an object is in your blind spot and your turn signal is engaged, or when an approaching object is detected while parked.”
This neat new safety feature will now increase the likelihood of a driver, who is operating their Tesla manually, of seeing the blind spot warnings that are currently available on the A pillar and on the center touchscreen.
These new alerts will now warn drivers of cross traffic as they back out of a parking space with little to no visibility of what is coming. It is a great new addition that will only increase the safety of the vehicles, while also utilizing something that is already installed in these specific Model 3 and Model Y units.
The Model 3 and Model Y were the central focus of the Spring 2026 Update, especially considering the fact that the Model S and Model X are basically gone, with only a few hundred units left. Additionally, Tesla included new Immersive Sound and Car Visualization for the Model 3 and Model Y specifically in this new update.
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Tesla parked 50+ Cybercabs outside its Texas Factory with some crash tested
Dozens of Tesla Cybercabs have been spotted at Giga Texas crash testing facility ahead of launch.
Drone footage captured by longtime Giga Texas observer Joe Tegtmeyer shows over 50 units of Tesla Cybercab at the Austin factory campus, including several units clustered by Tesla’s on-site crash testing facility.
The outbound lot at Gigafactory Texas sits just outside the factory exit and serves as the primary staging area where finished vehicles are held before being loaded onto transport carriers or dispatched for validation testing. On any given day, the lot holds a mix of Model Y and Cybertruck units alongside the growing Tesla Cybercab fleet, as can be seen in the drone footage captured by Joe Tegtmeyer.
Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas on April 13, 2026 [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)
Tesla Cybercab fleet spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)
Tesla Cybercab crash test units spotted at Gigafactory Texas [Credit: Joe Tegtmeyer)
Tesla announced its Spring 2026 software update, and it’s the most feature-dense seasonal release the company has put out. The update covers twelve named changes spanning FSD, voice AI, safety lighting, dashcam storage, and pet display customization, among other things.
The centerpiece for owners with AI4 hardware is a redesigned Self-Driving app. The new interface lets owners subscribe to Full Self-Driving with a single tap and view ongoing FSD usage stats directly in the vehicle.
Grok gets its biggest in-car upgrade yet. The update adds a “Hey Grok” hands-free wake word along with location-based reminders, so a driver can now say “remind me to pick up groceries when I get home” without touching the screen. Grok first arrived in vehicles in July 2025, but each update has pushed it closer to genuine daily utility. Musk framed the broader vision clearly at Davos in January, saying Tesla is “really moving into a future that is based on autonomy.”
On safety, the update introduces enhanced blind spot warning lights that integrate directly with the cabin’s ambient lighting, building on the blind spot door warning that arrived in update 2026.8.
Dog Mode has been renamed Pet Mode and now lets owners choose a dog, cat, or hedgehog icon and add their pet’s name to the display.
Dashcam retention now extends up to 24 hours, up from the previous one-hour rolling loop, with a permanent save option for any clip. Weather maps now show rain and snow with better color differentiation and include the past hour of precipitation data along the route.
Tesla has now established a clear rhythm of two major OTA pushes per year. As with last year’s Spring update, that cycle started taking shape in 2025 with adaptive headlights and trunk customization. The 2025 Holiday Update then added Grok to the vehicle for the first time. This Spring follows that structure: the Holiday update introduces new architecture, and the Spring update broadens it across the fleet.
Two notable features still did not make it. IFTTT automations, which launched in China earlier this year, were held back from this North American release for unknown reasons, and Apple CarPlay remains absent, reportedly still delayed by iOS 26 and Apple Maps compatibility issues.
Below is the full list of feature updates released by Tesla.
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 13, 2026
Tesla utilizes its ‘Rave Cave’ for new awesome safety feature
Tesla parked 50+ Cybercabs outside its Texas Factory with some crash tested
