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Tesla’s next Easter Egg will greet car vandals with Bach and Beethoven
Tesla CEO Eon Musk revealed additional details on how the company’s upcoming Sentry Mode theft-deterrent system will function, which includes a humorous look against the background of something as serious as addressing vehicle break-ins. According to Musk’s latest Tweet about the Iron Man-reminiscent feature, when an intrusion is detected while Sentry Mode is activated, composer Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 will play, drawing as much attention as possible to the would-be perpetrator(s). Tesla’s combined commitment to its customers’ safety, security, and more-cowbells-fun is something frequently on display, and this amusing spin on a vehicle alarm system is no different.
But, occasionally, the metal versionhttps://t.co/ogHYUPoA9z
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, 2019
Also added to the playlist about tactical intruder mitigation was a heavy metal version of the same 18th-century composer’s masterpiece. As with many of Musk’s Twitter rounds, the Tesla CEO was open to further suggestions and responded accordingly. An appropriately metal version of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was proposed by NicheGamer, to which the Tesla executive agreed to include with the upcoming over-the-air software update. Of course, this isn’t the first time a Tesla has been involved in epic heavy metal music with a classical flair. The Model X features a holiday-themed Easter Egg wherein an entertaining light and winged-door show to the song “Wizards in Winter” by Trans Siberian Orchestra is enacted.
Sentry Mode was first revealed by Musk in a tweet-response to a Tesla owner complaint about a dent found in his car made while the vehicle was parked. While the car manufacturer has been rolling out security improvements over the last few months, including an in-car dash cam system and motion-sensing Enhanced Anti-Theft system, this latest reveal was seemingly in response to the most recent rise in Tesla-targeted thefts popping up all over social media and Internet forums. A few days later, Musk estimated that a ‘rough beta’ would be released in 2 to 3 weeks. While specific official details of the Sentry Mode feature are slim, one of the assumed components is an enhanced use of vehicles’ built-in dashcam, itself developed in response to issues of theft and hit-and-run incidents. The array of sensors and cameras which provide 360-degree visibility on Tesla vehicles equipped with the hardware were leveraged to provide the cam feature in the Version 9.0 software updated in September 2018.
Rough beta in 2 to 3 weeks
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 25, 2019
When Elon Musk takes to Twitter to discuss new product ideas and features, it may not always be clear whether he’s serious, but it’s always amusing to imagine that he is and more often than not a safe bet to take. After all, The Boring Company (TBC), now poised to take on the traditional underground public transportation construction industry, infamously began with a tweet about “soul crushing” traffic. Considering the rapid expansion into TBC merchandising and positive response therefrom – hats, not-a-flamethrowers, etc. – the trend of tweets-turned-tangibles only has reasons to continue.
In the realm of new software features and Easter Eggs, anything Musk says is probably game for reality once Emissions Testing Mode (ETM) went live in a December 2018 software update. After teasing an upcoming “Toilet Humor” feature via Twitter, Tesla drivers saw the tease-promise kept via ETM which gives the option of directing fart noises to emit from a designated seat in the vehicle. In a tweet that sounds like it came from Musk himself, the official Tesla Twitter account recently pointed out that Romance Mode, the fireplace playing, heater-blasting, mood music setting fun feature released at the same time as ETM, “accommodates up to 5” in the Model 3. Whatever that means. Or doesn’t mean.
Altogether, Sentry Mode probably suggests it’s going to be horns-up for anyone nearby while a would-be robber tests out a Tesla vehicle’s proneness to theft. Either that, or anyone subjected to any intrusion detection system’s misidentifications won’t be so annoyed. (See: obnoxious car alarms that don’t quit.) Oh, and as for keeping Summer safe? Let’s hope things don’t come to that. Auto insurance is pricey enough.
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Tesla is coming to Estonia and Latvia in latest European expansion: report
Tesla seems to be accelerating its regional expansion following its recent launch in Lithuania.
Recent reports have indicated that Tesla has taken a step toward entering the Baltic states by registering new subsidiaries in Latvia and Estonia.
Filings suggest that Tesla is accelerating its regional expansion following its recent launch in Lithuania, with service centers likely coming before full sales operations.
Official entities in Latvia and Estonia
Tesla has established two new legal entities, Tesla Latvia SIA and Tesla Estonia OÜ, both owned by Tesla International B.V., as noted in an EV Wire report. Corporate records show the Estonian entity was formed on December 16, 2025, while the Latvian subsidiary was registered earlier, on November 7.
Both entities list senior Tesla executives on their boards, including regional and finance leadership responsible for new market expansion across Europe. Importantly, the entities are registered under “repair and maintenance of motor vehicles,” rather than strictly vehicle sales. This suggests that Tesla service centers will likely be launched in both countries.
The move mirrors Tesla’s recent Baltic rollout strategy. When Tesla entered Lithuania, it first established a local entity, followed by a pop-up store within weeks and a permanent service center a few months later. It would then not be surprising if Tesla follows a similar strategy in Estonia and Latvia, and service and retail operations arrive in the first half of 2026.
Tesla’s European push
Tesla saw a drop in sales in Europe in 2025, though the company is currently attempting to push more sales in the region by introducing its most affordable vehicles yet, the Model 3 Standard and the Model Y Standard. Both vehicles effectively lower the price of entry into the Tesla ecosystem, which may make them attractive to consumers.
Tesla is also hard at work in its efforts to get FSD approved for the region. In the fourth quarter of 2025, Tesla rolled out an FSD ride-along program in several European countries, allowing consumers to experience the capabilities of FSD firsthand. In early December, reports emerged indicating that the FSD ride-along program would be extended in several European territories until the end of March 2026.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X will start using a Tesla-like software update strategy
The initiative seems designed to accelerate updates to the social media platform, while maintaining maximum transparency.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X will adopt a Tesla-esque approach to software updates for its algorithm.
The initiative seems designed to accelerate updates to the social media platform, while maintaining maximum transparency.
X’s updates to its updates
As per Musk in a post on X, the social media company will be making a new algorithm to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users. These updates would then be repeated every four weeks.
“We will make the new 𝕏 algorithm, including all code used to determine what organic and advertising posts are recommended to users, open source in 7 days. This will be repeated every 4 weeks, with comprehensive developer notes, to help you understand what changed,” Musk wrote in his post.
The initiative somewhat mirrors Tesla’s over-the-air update model, where vehicle software is regularly refined and pushed to users with detailed release notes. This should allow users to better understand the details of X’s every update and foster a healthy feedback loop for the social media platform.
xAI and X
X, formerly Twitter, has been acquired by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI last year. Since then, xAI has seen a rapid rise in valuation. Following the company’s the company’s upsized $20 billion Series E funding round, estimates now suggest that xAI is worth tens about $230 to $235 billion. That’s several times larger than Tesla when Elon Musk received his controversial 2018 CEO Performance Award.
As per xAI, the Series E funding round attracted a diverse group of investors, including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX, and Baron Capital Group, among others. Strategic partners NVIDIA and Cisco Investments also continued support for building the world’s largest GPU clusters.
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Tesla FSD Supervised wins MotorTrend’s Best Driver Assistance Award
The decision marks a notable reversal for the publication from prior years, with judges citing major real-world improvements that pushed Tesla’s latest FSD software ahead of every competing ADAS system.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has been named the best driver-assistance technology on the market, earning top honors at the 2026 MotorTrend Best Tech Awards.
The decision marks a notable reversal for the publication from prior years, with judges citing major real-world improvements that pushed Tesla’s latest FSD software ahead of every competing ADAS system. And it wasn’t even close.
MotorTrend reverses course
MotorTrend awarded Tesla FSD (Supervised) its 2026 Best Tech Driver Assistance title after extensive testing of the latest v14 software. The publication acknowledged that it had previously criticized earlier versions of FSD for erratic behavior and near-miss incidents, ultimately favoring rivals such as GM’s Super Cruise in earlier evaluations.
According to MotorTrend, the newest iteration of FSD resolved many of those shortcomings. Testers said v14 showed far smoother behavior in complex urban scenarios, including unprotected left turns, traffic circles, emergency vehicles, and dense city streets. While the system still requires constant driver supervision, judges concluded that no other advanced driver-assistance system currently matches its breadth of capability.
Unlike rival systems that rely on combinations of cameras, radar, lidar, and mapped highways, Tesla’s FSD operates using a camera-only approach and is capable of driving on city streets, rural roads, and freeways. MotorTrend stated that pure utility, the ability to handle nearly all road types, ultimately separated FSD from competitors like Ford BlueCruise, GM Super Cruise, and BMW’s Highway Assistant.
High cost and high capability
MotorTrend also addressed FSD’s pricing, which remains significantly higher than rival systems. Tesla currently charges $8,000 for a one-time purchase or $99 per month for a subscription, compared with far lower upfront and subscription costs from other automakers. The publication noted that the premium is justified given FSD’s unmatched scope and continuous software evolution.
Safety remained a central focus of the evaluation. While testers reported collision-free operation over thousands of miles, they noted ongoing concerns around FSD’s configurable driving modes, including options that allow aggressive driving and speeds beyond posted limits. MotorTrend emphasized that, like all Level 2 systems, FSD still depends on a fully attentive human driver at all times.
Despite those caveats, the publication concluded that Tesla’s rapid software progress fundamentally reshaped the competitive landscape. For drivers seeking the most capable hands-on driver-assistance system available today, MotorTrend concluded Tesla FSD (Supervised) now stands alone at the top.
Tesla is coming to Estonia and Latvia in latest European expansion: report
Elon Musk’s X will start using a Tesla-like software update strategy
