Tesla’s redesign of the Model 3 has now been unveiled in many markets, featuring the removal of several components — notably including the removal of a shifting stalk.
Since the announcement, however, some have also spotted that Tesla may have removed a front-seat airbag from the design, leaving some onlookers with questions.
Earlier this week, Reddit u/Capital-Pomegranate6 noticed that the new Model 3 doesn’t include a knee airbag for front-seat passengers, as spotted in the French owner’s manual. Interestingly, the manual also shows that the design has an additional airbag inside the driver’s seat, which appears to be the same one noticed in China-built Model Y units last year.
Some users responded that the design could be region-based, depending on what airbags are available in certain countries. Others said that U.S. regulations may require knee airbags while European countries don’t. However, u/Capital-Pomegranate6 reiterated that their Model 3 does include the knee airbags, though others outside of North America pointed out that theirs didn’t.
Above: Airbags in the U.S./North America Tesla Model 3, according to the owner’s manual. (Credit: Tesla)
In any case, it seems clear from the U.S. owner’s manual (and those of other North American countries) that pre-refresh Model 3 builds include knee airbags. The new Model 3 design is not yet on sale in the United Kingdom, however, and you can see in their owner’s manual that the older European-shipped models also did not include a knee airbag.
It’s not clear as of yet whether the new Model 3 will include the knee airbags in the U.S. or other North American countries. Currently, there aren’t any markets with knee airbags in their owner’s manual.
Above: Tesla’s airbags in the 2024 Model 3 refresh (left; via French owners manual) compared to the pre-refresh Model 3 (right; via UK owner’s manual). (Credit: Tesla)
Still, it’s entirely possible that Tesla could remove the knee airbags in 2024 Model 3 builds in North America, especially if they aren’t deemed necessary. Capital-Pomegranate6 also points out that the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) conducts thorough safety testing of new cars. As such, Tesla could simply prioritize the inner driver’s seat airbag as more critical, especially if it still meets North American safety standards.
In 2019, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) published an article stating that researchers found knee airbags could have “a negligible effect on injury risk,” even making injuries more likely in some cases. The accompanying study showed that knee airbags decreased injury risks from 7.9 percent to 7.4 percent in a real-world analysis. The 0.5-percent drop was “not statistically significant,” according to the IIHS.
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“There are many different design strategies for protecting against the kind of leg and foot injuries that knee airbags are meant to address,” said Becky Mueller, IIHS senior research engineer and co-author of the study. “Other options may be just as, if not more, effective.”
The IIHS also acknowledges that some manufacturers have continued building cars with knee airbags. Despite their potentially marginal effects, the organization adds that automakers could be using knee airbags to target high scores on federally mandated tests, and specifically those requiring dummies to be unbelted.
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Elon Musk shed two new bits of detail on Starship following its 13th test launch, which was an overwhelming success.
SpaceX launched Starship for the 13th time last Friday after two delays: one on Monday when several Raptor engines did not ignite, and another on Thursday due to unfavorable weather conditions in Starbase, Texas.
The launch was overwhelmingly successful. SpaceX was able to complete a necessary test of the heat shield tiles by increasing the acceleration of Starship from launch throughout the flight; 20 Starlink v3 satellites were released with no issue; the Super Heavy Booster landed safely in the Gulf of America, Ship successfully reignited engines while in space; and it also splashed down without incident in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
Nevertheless, more details are coming out about Starship, and Musk is doing the talking.
Starship Will Be Retrieved in the Ocean
Musk revealed on Tuesday night that Starship would be recovered by a ship in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX routinely tries to recover Starship after splashdown in an effort to find out more about the flight by examining the spacecraft afterward.
We’re sending a ship out to recover Starship https://t.co/fUqUZTITO9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2026
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This helps engineers find out more about why things might have happened, allows them to examine any potential damage or anomalies that might have occurred, and increases the chances of an even more successful flight next time thanks to the additional information recovered.
Ship Could Have Been Caught by Tower Arms, Musk claims
Musk has already indicated that SpaceX will plan to attempt a catch of Starship with the 14th test flight. While this would be a major accomplishment, it would be an expected next step, considering the fact that the Super Heavy Booster has already been caught by the chopsticks on numerous occasions.
The ship landing was precise, meaning that it would have been caught by the tower arms https://t.co/6nbNrRfX9P
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
A ship catch would be a great indication of where SpaceX stands in terms of reusability and launch cadence. A successful catch with relatively no incidents would be a good sign that SpaceX is nearing a more frequent launch of Starship, but also that the reusability of the massive rocket would be something many would expect in the near future.
It is a necessity to make life multiplanetary.
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Elon Musk has updated his timeline for when humans will walk on Mars and for when ships will simply get there.
The objective of getting to Mars has been one of Musk’s biggest goals since becoming a serial entrepreneur and realizing that time on Earth is limited. Musk has said several times he hopes to die on Mars, and not by impact.
Musk now believes that people will be on Mars in “roughly 5 to 7 years.” He said that a Mars lander will get there “a few years sooner.”
People on Mars in roughly 5 to 7 years.
Mars lander a few years sooner.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
The response from Musk comes after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that SpaceX’s biggest priority is the Moon and not Mars. Because of this, Isaacman conceded that he believes nuclear power and propulsion investments will provide “potentially the pathway with the fewest miracles required to put four people on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.”
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Of course, this is what NASA can do through taxpayer funding and nuclear investments, he added.
Musk’s grand ambitions are much more optimistic than most, and it is certainly a double-edged sword. This is not the first time timelines for Mars have been somewhat lofty, especially to those normal thinkers like you and me, not super geniuses like Musk.
In fact, the SpaceX and Tesla frontman has said on at least a dozen occasions that we could be on Mars in the coming years. Musk said 2020 would be the big year as early as 2009. In 2020, he was “highly confident” of a landing in 2026, and had even said 2024 in a best-case scenario.
The point is, the range has varied, and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll get there. This latest adjustment to the timeline is typical of Musk, and while the Moon has seemingly taken priority over Mars, it is still worth mentioning that the ultimate goal is to make life multiplanetary, and it starts potentially with the Red Planet.
SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) got an absolutely crazy price target rating from Raymond James after the company experienced a tough first few weeks following its Initial Public Offering (IPO).
Despite the tumultuous start, SpaceX has plenty of believers, and the company’s massively successful Starship launch last Friday, its 13th test flight of the massive rocket, went so smoothly that Raymond James analysts pushed its price target on the company to roughly 7 times its current trading level.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
The firm officially put a “Strong Buy” rating and an $800 price target on the stock. It currently trades at around $113. Its all-time high is $225.64, reaching this trading level shortly after shares first went public.
Raymond James’ price target is tied to the firm’s confidence after Starship’s 13th test flight. Analysts at the firm said it was an incremental step that reduces engineering risks, citing the widely successful heat shield test that CEO Elon Musk recently detailed, the smooth deployment of Starlink V3 satellites, and a successful in-space engine relight.
SpaceX also managed to see Starship splash down safely in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy Booster fell down to the Gulf of America with no incidents.
It is interesting to see these launches have such a tremendous impact on the stock and what investors think of it. After SpaceX initially delayed the Starship launch last week, shares fell tremendously. Most probably did not realize that the stand-down is a standard practice, especially if everything is not perfect.
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The mission was initially aborted due to an issue with Raptor engines. This was resolved, and Starship launched last Friday after another delay on Thursday, which was caused by weather.
Now that analysts have seen what SpaceX launches are capable of and how impressive the feat is, firms are adjusting their price targets accordingly, making it known that they have high expectations for the space exploration company.
Elon Musk sheds two new bits of detail on Starship after 13th test launch
Elon Musk updates the SpaceX timeline for Mars
