Tesla sets up research facility in the heart of the Big 3

A rendering of Tesla's upcoming research and testing facility in Southfield, MI.

City of Southfield

Tesla, that tiny little pie-in-the-sky electric company that set up in California nearly two decades ago, is now moving into the heart of America's big three. Ford, General Motors and Dodge have a new neighbor, Tesla. The City of Southfield, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, has changed some rules to allow Elon Musk's company to expand.

The City of Southfield's slogan is the center of it all, and it promotes itself as Michigan's premier business address. The address of 21375 Telegraph Road is about to have a new tenant after the Council enacted three ordinances to allow for "Electric Vehicle Research, Testing, Repair and Maintenance Facilities" as requested by Tesla Inc.

According to Automotive News, the company will operate out of a nearly 35,000 square feet building. That's nothing compared to the 10,000,000 square foot Gigafactory in Texas, but it's still a significant size that the city welcomes. Southfield Planning Director Terry Croad said, "It's a well-known name. We continue to say that we're the center of it all. We're just finishing up our master plan, where we're trying to anticipate the industry moving to electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and automated vehicles. And we're trying to position ourselves with our zoning to be flexible for these new technologies."

It appears the community's master plan is forward-looking, as Croad also said, "As I've been telling people, this isn't your grandfather's bump shop. You know, there's no oils and gases. There's a lot of computers and chips and diagnostics in a much cleaner way than your typical automotive repair shop."

Tesla should not have a problem recruiting for the new facility as Forbes magazine named Southfield one of the United States' most livable metro area suburbs. It also has seven colleges, universities and trade schools, including Lawrence Technological University, which is noted in the top 40 institutions specializing in engineering, architecture and business.

Again, it's not an enormous building, but just moving into the neighborhood that has played such a significant role in the development of the automobile over the last century is telling. This area is set up for the transportation of cars and car parts to move efficiently to and from suppliers in Michigan and north of the border. There continues to be speculation that Canada could get the next Gigafactory. If that happens, Tesla will likely need even more space in Detroit. There goes the neighborhood.

Tesla Launches FSD in China: First Look [Video]

zhongwen2005

A series of articles on Sina Finance, a leading Chinese finance news organization, recently reported that Tesla’s FSD would soon start rolling out in China. Although there have also been reports of delays, Tesla appears to have finally addressed those regulatory issues as it has now officially started rolling out FSD in China.

FSD is being enabled with software update 2024.45.32.12 to owners who have purchased FSD outright. However, it isn’t clear whether this is exactly the same FSD as North Americans know it.

Urban Road Autopilot Assistance

This software update introduces “Urban Road Autopilot Assistance” (let’s call it URAA for short), an FSD-based driver-assistance system for Chinese Tesla owners. On controlled-access highways and urban roads, URAA guides vehicles according to navigation routes, assisting with entering and exiting highways, navigating intersections, and recognizing traffic lights to perform actions like going straight, turning left or right, or making U-turns. 

Same FSD as North America?

While URAA shares many similarities with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving based on the information Tesla released, it’s not clear whether its functionality is exactly the same. It could just be FSD under a different name, or it could be slightly different.

Based on initial videos (shown below), FSD looks very capable and similar to what we’re used to. In the video, you can see the vehicle using its turn signals to go around vehicles, stopping at red lights, and making turns. It also slows down appropriately when there are pedestrians nearby. If there are differences between North American “FSD” and URAA, Tesla doesn’t make it clear what they are.

It appears that FSD in China is trained on its own set of data, as China did not want Tesla to use data from other countries to train their system, so there could be some limitations or differences between what’s available in North America and China. However, it’s also possible that it’s just a name change and Tesla was not allowed to use the term “Full Self-Driving" in China.

Some more FSD CHINA footage pic.twitter.com/E7YSEFbz6v

— JacksonS (@shrmodelx) February 25, 2025

Visualizations

The full suite of FSD visualizations are also available in China with this update. They appear to be the same ones available in North America and we haven’t been able to detect any differences so far. However, it’s great to see additional owners being able to experience them for the first time.

Navigation Update

In September 2024, Tesla added the FSD option in Chinese vehicles, but it was just greyed out and required a navigation update. With this FSD update going out, Tesla is also requiring users to update the navigation maps to version CN-2025.8 before FSD can be enabled.

Most Teslas Now Have Access to FSD

This is Tesla’s first release of FSD outside of North America, which millions of customers have been waiting to see. Just recently, Tesla released FSD in Mexico, and before that, it expanded it to Puerto Rico, making it now available in four countries. Since North America and China are Tesla’s two largest markets, Tesla’s FSD is now available to the majority of Tesla owners, the first time this has happened.

While Tesla initially faced difficulty in getting regulatory approval in China due to data transmission laws, it appears Tesla is making progress with regulatory laws outside of the United States. Europe and Oceania are the next two phases for FSD, with Europe likely coming first due to it being a left-hand drive market.

While it’s not surprising to see FSD released in China, we expected more of a hold-up due to Chinese laws, so this is an encouraging sign of Tesla being able to work around country-specific laws.

In Tesla’s 2024 roadmap, Tesla said that it’d release FSD in China and Europe in Q1 2025, which it has partially achieved. The next step appears to be Europe, where many users are anxiously awaiting.

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Tesla VP Confirms Model S & Model X Refresh Later This Year

Not a Tesla App

In the latest episode of the Ride the Lightning podcast, Tesla’s VP of Engineering, Lars Moravy, addressed a question that’s been on everyone’s mind—what’s going on with the Model S and Model X?

It turns out Tesla’s engineering and design teams have been thinking about the same thing. They’ve heard the calls for a refresh loud and clear, and changes are on the way to Tesla’s flagship vehicles.

Most importantly, Lars put the rumors to rest—Tesla has no plans to discontinue the Model S and Model X. Not only are they here to stay, but a refresh is also in the works.

Just give it a minute, we’ll get there - Lars Moravy

Refreshed Flagships

According to Lars, the Model S and Model X will finally be getting some attention—but not until later this year. For now, Tesla’s top priority is launching its more affordable next-generation vehicle ahead of Q2 2025.

Still, a refresh is on the way, and many of the upgrades seen in the Model 3 and Model Y refreshes are expected to make their way to Tesla’s flagship vehicles. There’s a lot to break down from that simple statement, so let’s dive into what’s likely coming—and what we’re hopeful to see.

Interior Updates

Both flagship vehicles are expected to receive a Cybertruck-inspired update—though not in the form of sharp angles and stainless steel. Instead, Tesla, we may see many Cybertruck features move over to the Model S and Model X. We may see things like the removal of the driver’s gauge cluster display in favor of a larger center screen, similar to the Cybertruck’s design. Unlike the Model 3 and Model Y refreshes, this screen won’t tilt, simplifying production and increasing part-sharing across the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck.

These changes streamline Tesla’s supply chain while also making the vehicles easier to repair and service. However, it’s not all about cutting features. Last year, rumors suggested the Model S and Model X would receive a mid-cycle interior refresh, including ambient lighting—now a standard feature across Tesla’s lineup. This subtle yet elegant lighting improves the cabin’s aesthetics without being overly bright or distracting.

Another major update will likely be the transition to a 48V low-voltage electrical system, a move Tesla has already made with the Cybertruck. Tesla recently announced that a lot of the Cybertruck’s tech, such as this 48V LV system, its 800-volt HV architecture, bi-directional charging, and more are coming to future Tesla vehicles.

This upgrade could also bring support for steer-by-wire to the Model S/X, which would greatly improve the usability of the yoke steering wheel.

Exterior Updates

When it comes to exterior changes, we’re a little less sure of what to expect. A complete body makeover is very unlikely, but we could see updates to the front and rear fascias like we’re seeing with the new Model Y. We hope Tesla preserves the iconic design of the Model S. Its sleek, aggressive profile has a broad appeal—even among muscle car enthusiasts who appreciate its sharp lines and commanding presence.

For the Model X, Tesla might follow a similar strategy to the Model Y refresh, further differentiating it from the Model S. We could also see the introduction of a light or rear light bar like we’ve seen recently with the Cybertruck, new Model Y, and the Cybercab. Tesla has really perfected its grill-less look with recent models and we may see that carry over to the revamped Model S and Model X as well.

FSD Hardware Changes

The timing of the refreshed Model S and Model X could overlap with the launch of Tesla’s next-gen FSD hardware, AI5. While this would be unexpected—given that Tesla has yet to fully utilize AI4—it could align with Musk’s June 2024 statement that AI5 would be available in about 18 months. Afterall, the Cybercab will include AI5 when it hits production this summer.

Additionally, like the recently refreshed Model Y, the Model S and Model X have long been rumored to receive a front bumper camera, and this update will likely bring it. In turn, Tesla may remove the HD radar that has been shipping—albeit disabled—with every Model S and Model X. While the radar appeared to be included for data collection purposes, Tesla never fully committed to integrating it into its autonomy stack.

Drivetrain and Battery

The Model S and Model X still use a relatively outdated air suspension system. If you own one, you’re probably familiar with the issue: the camber (angle of the wheels) changes depending on the vehicle’s height, which increases wear on the inner or outer edges of the tires. Combined with the vehicles’ immense acceleration, this can lead to increased tire wear.

With the Cybertruck’s updated air suspension, this is considerably less of an issue due to how the new suspension functions. It would make sense for Tesla to integrate similar improvements, along with other updates to improve handling, much like the changes made to the refreshed Model 3 Performance. Track Mode V3 would also be a welcome addition to both Plaid models.

Additionally, adopting the Cybertruck’s 800V high-voltage architecture could enable the new Model S and Model X to charge faster, potentially reaching the 500kW speeds the Cybertruck will soon support at V4 Superchargers.

New Production Lines

There’s also another interesting tidbit circulating from stock analyst M44_1RJ. It’s rumored that the Model S and Model X production lines, known internally as the GA1 lines at Fremont, are undergoing upgrades. These improvements are likely part of Tesla’s preparations for the upcoming refreshed versions of these vehicles.

We’re eager to see what Tesla has in store for the refreshed Model S and Model X. While we could see completely new features added to these flagship vehicles, we’re more likely to see some of the Cybertruck improvements carry over.

There’s even hope that the Plaid+ variant will make a return to the Model S, providing a sleek and worthy competitor to the Lucid Air Sapphire and other electric hypercars making waves on tracks worldwide.

It seems Tesla has something big in the works, but it’s probably at least six months away. We can expect more tangible updates to surface around late summer, likely after the launch of the Cybercab and Tesla’s more affordable model.

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