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Tesla’s new Model Y gets first software update—Here’s what’s in it
Tesla’s new Model Y started delivering over the past few weeks, and its first software update is now here.
Tesla has officially started deploying its first software update for the recently refreshed Model Y, and it appears to add additional parts of a beta version of the Auto Shift feature, as highlighted by one owner this week.
After Tesla began deploying its software update 2025.8.6 over the past few days, photos from a couple of owners show that the refreshed Model Y has also started receiving the update. One Model Y owner, X user LRESP, posted on Sunday that the update also enables the latest version of Tesla’s beta Auto-Shift feature, as was echoed by another user in the thread.
Although some have pointed out that the new Model Y already had Auto-Shift enabled, the user points out that this update includes the version of the feature that allows three-point turns, though previous versions only allowed it to get out of park.
You can see the message displayed on the Model Y owner’s vehicle below, along with a few other notes about the recent software update.
Tesla’s Auto Shift (Beta) on Model Y
Auto Shift is currently in Beta.
For parking and multipoint turns, Auto Shift (Beta) can assist with shifting out of Park (P) or between Drive (D) and Reverse (R) drive modes based on your surroundings without you using the touchscreen.
Before you press the accelerator pedal, always check that the proposed drive mode matches your expectations and that it is safe to move in that direction.
Auto Shift (Beta) will only shift between Drive (D) or Reverse (R) drive modes in certain circumstances, and when transitioning out of Park (P) – not any other drive mode or situation. You must manually shift using the drive mode strip if the vehicle doesn’t do so.
Before you enable this feature, be sure that you understand how to operate the drive mode strip.
Do you want to enable Auto Shift while it is in Beta?
[No][Yes]
Credit: RE_LuisEV | X
Auto Shift between D & R is arguably one of the most underrated features of Tesla’s vehicles.
It’s something that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. But once experienced, it’s pretty difficult to go back.pic.twitter.com/m60nDslbhy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2025
READ MORE ON TESLA MODEL Y: Tesla redesigned this crucial piece of hardware on the new Model Y
Tesla’s software update 2025.8.6
Along with Auto-Shift, Tesla has also added a number of other features with software update 2025.8.6, as shared a few days ago by Not a Tesla App. The update is also going out to legacy vehicles and Cybertrucks, and while the Auto-Shift beta addition is the only feature exclusively going out to the new Model Y, a handful of minor improvements are going out to most or all of Tesla’s lineup.
These include the ability to view the last 10, 100, or 200 miles of energy usage in the Consumption page, and the ability to clear your energy history. Tesla also notes that the battery’s energy estimates now account for all vehicle usage characteristics, along with being adjusted over time based on your driving history.
The update also lets owners run a Battery Health Test, which measures battery energy retention since the vehicle was new. This option can be found in the Controls, Service, and Battery Health menus.
Select Model Y units with model years between 2022 and 2024 have now been updated to use the cabin radar, a feature which is now being deployed standard with the refreshed version of the SUV.
The update also includes security fixes and other improvements that aren’t specifically documented, which went out to the company’s entire lineup.
These include some improvements to voice guidance and spoken directions, including that they automatically and immediately stop when ending a trip, rather than finishing phrases that have already started being spoken.
Additionally, Tesla improved the rainbow road feature in the update, no longer overlaying the visual overtop of the blue Autopilot visualization as it did in past updates. It also still incorporates certain Autopilot features, such as the display of arrows when the vehicle suddenly slows down.
For the Cybertruck, the update adds steer-by-wire improvements and the ability to adjust air suspension ride height using the Tesla mobile app. Meanwhile, the update also makes it so that Model 3 vehicles automatically transition to Standard Ride & Handling when Autopilot is engaged, though it can be disabled by navigating to Controls, Dynamics, and Use Standard Ride & Handling in Autopilot within the menus.
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Tesla China’s domestic sales fell 4.8% in 2025, but it’s not doom and gloom
Despite the full-year dip, Tesla finished the year with record domestic sales in December.
Tesla posted 625,698 retail vehicle sales in China in 2025, marking a 4.8% year-on-year decline as the EV maker navigated an increasingly competitive EV market and a major production transition for its best-selling vehicle.
Despite the full-year dip, Tesla finished the year with record domestic sales in December.
Retail sales slip amid Model Y transition
Tesla’s 2025 retail sales in China were down from 657,102 units in 2024, when the company ranked third in the country’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market with a 6.0% share. In 2025, Tesla’s share slipped to 4.9%, placing it fifth overall, as noted in a CNEV Post report.
Part of the decline seemed tied to operational disruptions early in the year. Tesla implemented a changeover to the new Tesla Model Y in the first quarter of 2025, which required temporary production pauses at Giga Shanghai. That downtime reduced vehicle availability early during the year, weighing on the company’s retail volumes in China and in areas supplied by Giga Shanghai’s exports.
China remained one of Tesla’s largest markets, accounting for 38.24% of its global deliveries of 1.64 million vehicles in 2025. However, the company also saw exports from Giga Shanghai fall to 226,034 units, down nearly 13% year-on-year. It remains to be seen how much of this could be attributed to the Model Y changeover and how much could be attributed to other factors.
Strong December 2025 finish
While the full-year picture showed some contraction, Tesla closed 2025 on a high note. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), Tesla China delivered a record 93,843 vehicles domestically in China in December, its highest monthly total ever. That figure was up 13.2% from a year earlier and 28.3% higher than November.
The surge was driven in part by Tesla prioritizing domestic deliveries late in the year, allowing buyers to lock in favorable purchase tax policies. In December alone, Tesla captured 7.0% of China’s NEV market and a notable 12.0% share of the country’s battery-electric segment.
On a wholesale basis, Tesla China sold 851,732 vehicles in 2025, down 7.1% year-on-year. From this number, 97,171 were from December 2025 alone. Tesla Model 3 wholesale figures reached 312,738 units, a year-over-year decrease of 13.12%. The Tesla Model Y’s wholesale figures for 2025 were 538,994 units, down 3.18% year-over-year.
News
Tesla Robovan’s likely first real-world use teased by Boring Company President
As per the executive, the vehicle will be used to move large crowds through Las Vegas during major events.
The Boring Company President Steve Davis has shared the most likely first real-world use for Tesla’s Robovan.
As per the executive, the vehicle will be used to move large crowds through Las Vegas during major events.
Tesla Robovan for high-demand events
During a feature with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Boring Company President Steve Davis stated that the Tesla Robovan will be used in Sin City once the Vegas Loop expands across the Strip and downtown and the fleet grows to about 1,200 Teslas.
At that scale, Robovans would primarily be deployed during predictable surges, such as game days and large shows, when many riders are traveling to the same destination at the same time.
“The second you have four (passengers) and you have to start stopping, the best thing you can do is put your smallest vehicle in, which is a car. But if you know people are going to the stadium because of a game, you’ll know an hour before, two hours before, that a lot of people are going to a game or a Sphere show, if you are smart about it, that’s when you put a high occupancy vehicle in, that’s when you put the Robovan in,” Davis said.
Vegas Loop expansion
Steve Davis’s Robovan comment comes amid The Boring Company’s efforts to expand the Vegas Loop’s airport service. Phase 1 of rides to Harry Reid International Airport began last month, allowing passengers to travel from existing Loop stations such as Resorts World, Encore, Westgate, and the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Phase 2 will add a 2.2-mile dual-direction tunnel from Westgate to Paradise Road. That section is expected to open within months and will allow speeds of up to 60 mph on parts of the route, while expanding the fleet to around 160 vehicles.
Future phases are expected to extend tunnels closer to airport terminals and add multiple stations along University Center Drive. At this point, the system’s fleet is expected to grow close to 300 Teslas. The final phase, an underground airport station, was described by Davis as the system’s “holy grail.” This, however, has no definite timeframe as of yet.
News
Tesla seeks engineer to make its iOS Robotaxi app feel “magical”
It appears that Tesla is hard at work in ensuring that users of its Robotaxi service are provided with the best user experience possible.
Tesla is hiring an iOS Engineer for its Robotaxi app team, with the job posting emphasizing the creation of polished experiences that make the service not just functional, but “magical.”
Needless to say, it appears that Tesla is hard at work in ensuring that users of its Robotaxi service are provided with the best user experience possible.
Robotaxi App features
As observed by Tesla community members, Tesla has gone live with a job listing for an iOS Engineer for its Robotaxi App. The job listing mentions the development of a “core mobile experience that enables customers to summon, track, and interact with a driverless vehicle. From requesting a ride to enabling frictionless entry, from trip planning to real-time vehicle status and media control.”
Interestingly enough, the job listing also mentioned the creation of polished experiences that make the Robotaxi more than just functional. “You will take full ownership of features—from architecture design to robust implementation—delivering delightful and polished experiences that make Robotaxi not just functional, but magical,” Tesla noted in its job listing.
Apple’s “magical” marketing
Tesla’s use of the word “magical” when referring to the Robotaxi app mirrors the marketing used by Apple for some of its key products. Apple typically uses the word when referring to products or solutions that transform complex technology into something that feels effortless, simple, and natural to daily life. Products such as the AirPods’ seamless pairing with the iPhone and FaceID’s complex yet simple-to-use security system have received Apple’s “magical” branding.
With this in mind, Tesla seems intent on developing a Robotaxi app that is sophisticated, but still very easy to use. Tesla already has extensive experience in this area, with the Tesla App consistently being hailed by users as one of the best in its segment. If Tesla succeeds in making the Robotaxi app worthy of its “magical” branding, then it wouldn’t be a surprise if the service sees rapid adoption even among mainstream consumers.
Tesla China’s domestic sales fell 4.8% in 2025, but it’s not doom and gloom
Tesla Robovan’s likely first real-world use teased by Boring Company President
