With Tesla software update 2024.32.6, users on X have begun reporting a big difference in how Tesla’s Autopilot detects attention. While Tesla’s latest FSD versions in North America support vision-based attention monitoring when the cabin is well lit, the feature has yet to be officially released outside of the region or apply to Autopilot.
On FSD updates in North America, Tesla now only uses steering wheel torque on vehicles that don’t include a cabin camera or when the camera can’t see the driver properly.
Vision-Based Attention Monitoring
VBAM, or Vision-Based Attention Monitoring, was introduced to Full Self-Driving in FSD update V12.4 and subsequently rolled out wide to North American users on update V12.5.4.
However, it now seems that Europeans with update 2024.32.6 may be experiencing some form of vision-based monitoring as well. While the green dot of VBAM isn’t shown next to the Autopilot icon, users are noticing that they no longer need to apply resistance to the wheel while using Navigate on Autopilot.
Meanwhile, for regular Autopilot, nudges are still required – but users are reporting that simply having your hands on the steering wheel is now enough, and you no longer need to apply pressure to the wheel. It looks like Tesla may be using the cabin camera to monitor whether the user’s hands are on the steering wheel instead of detecting torque on the wheel.
In addition, while using Navigate on Autopilot, the driver no longer needs to apply torque to the wheel in order to accept a lane change. This has been one of the largest regulatory obstacles for Tesla to tackle and is partially what prevented FSD from rolling out in Europe in the first place.
In the EU, any autonomous vehicle actions, including changing lanes, had to be approved by the driver. This means the driver would need to nudge the steering wheel to accept lane changes or have the vehicle take an exit while on Navigate on Autopilot. This EU requirement was recently lifted, and this change to Navigate on Autopilot is a distinct sign that FSD could be around the corner for Europe.
We’re excited to see if Tesla hits its original timeline of Q1 2025 for FSD's release outside of North America. With these changes to VBAM and regulatory changes in the European Union, the goal finally appears to be in sight.
Video
A Tesla owner has recently posted a video that shows the new behavior in Europe.
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Tesla is holding its 2025 Q1 earnings call today at 2:30 pm PT / 5:30 pm ET / 9:30 pm UTC. The earnings call will be followed by a Q&A session with Tesla executives, including Elon Musk.
We expect the focus to be on Tesla sales for the quarter, FSD Unsupservised and the Robotaxi network. Tesla may also discuss its upcoming, more affordable model, Optimus, and other products.
Listen Live
The event will be live-streamed on Tesla’s site. It is also expected to be streamed on X and YouTube like it has been in the past. Tesla has changed this from an Earnings Call to a Company Update, but it’s unclear whether the phrase change holds any significance in what will be shared.
Update: You can listen to Tesla’s earnings call live below. If you prefer, you can also listen live on Tesla’s website.
Start Time
Tesla's live stream starts at 2:30 pm PT, which is the following times around the world:
2:30 pm Pacific Time
5:30 pm Eastern Time
10:30 pm UTC
10:30 pm - London, England
11:30 pm - Berlin, Germany
9:30 am (April 23rd) - Sydney, Australia
Q&A Questions
The questions asked during the Q&A portion of the call come directly from investors. These are currently the top-voted questions, so we’ll likely see answers to several of these questions:
What are the highest risk items on the critical path to robotaxi launch and scaling?
When will FSD unsupervised be available for personal use on personally-owned cars?
Is Tesla still on track for releasing “more affordable models” this year? Or will you be focusing on simplified versions to enhance affordability, similar to the RWD Cybertruck?
Does Tesla see robotaxi as a winner-take-most market, and as you approach the Austin launch, how do you expect to compare against Waymo’s offering, especially regarding pricing, geofencing and regulatory flexibility?
Can you please provide an update on the unboxed method and how that is progressing?
How is Tesla positioning itself to flexibly adapt to global economic risks in the form of tariffs, political biases, etc.?
Does Tesla still have a battery supply constraint (noted on Q4 ER call) and how does this change w/tariffs?
Did Tesla experience any meaningful changes in order inflow rate in Q1 relating to all of the rumors of “brand damage”?
Regarding the Tesla Optimus pilot line, could you confirm if it is currently operational? If so, what is the current production rate of Optimus bots per week? Additionally, how might the recent tariffs impact the scalability of this production line moving forward?
Robotaxi still on track for this year?’
Look Back at 2025 Q1 Numbers
Most of Tesla’s Q1 deliveries, 323,800 units, were unsurprisingly for the Model 3 and Model Y, while the “Other Models” category (including the Cybertruck, Model S, and Model X) accounted for 12,881 deliveries.
Comparing these numbers to Q1 2024, the Model 3/Y is down about 13%, while the Model S/X and Cybertruck are down about 24%.
In terms of production, Tesla built 345,454 Model 3/Y vehicles and 17,161 from its “Other Models” line. The company attributed the production drop to the Model Y changeover but stated that the ramp is “going well.” However, deliveries and production were both down year over year.
Q1 2025
Q1 2024
Q4 2024
Model 3/Y Deliveries
323,800
369,783
471,930
Model 3/Y Production
345,454
412,376
436,718
Other Models Deliveries
12,881
17,027
23,640
Other Models Production
17,161
20,995
22,727
Total Deliveries
336,681
386,810
495,570
Total Production
362,615
433,371
459,445
Although Tesla doesn’t officially break down its numbers by region, Troy Teslike, who closely monitors Tesla's delivery and production numbers has provided estimates that show Tesla’s deliveries across regions. Tesla delivered the most vehicles in China this past quarter, so it’ll be interesting to see if this trend continues.
His estimates for the regional break down are below:
Tesla’s Giga Texas factory usually gives us the first site of Tesla’s upcoming products. We first saw the Cybertruck and Model Y castings here. With Giga Texas being one of Tesla’s largest factories, it’s logical that most products would originate here.
Tesla has also stated that it intends to manufacture the Cybercab, Semi, the next-generation vehicle, and Optimus at Giga Texas over the coming years. The affordable vehicle and Cybercab were originally intended to be manufactured at Giga Mexico, but the plans for that facility were waylaid by changes in economic policy.
Robotaxi Castings
These new castings were spotted by Joe Tegtmeyer, who regularly does drone flights of Giga Texas. Joe pointed out that these castings don’t look like the usual Model Y or Cybertruck castings usually seen outside Giga Texas.
With an eagle eye, @minusYCore on X also spotted some interesting text on the frames holding the castings up. In particular, the castings say “RTTX050” and “W68-RSF AS-CAST”. These could be interpreted as ‘Robotaxi Texas’ and ‘Rear SubFrame,’ as Tesla marks Cybertruck castings as “CTTX.” The as-cast portion indicates that these particular castings haven’t been trimmed yet, according to the X user.
The castings laid out.
@JoeTegtmeyer
The size and shape of these castings—combined with rumors that Tesla’s more affordable vehicle has been delayed—suggest that these castings are intended for the Cybercab.
These castings are much flatter and appear to be a different size than the castings found throughout Giga Texas, indicating that they are intended for an entirely different product.
It’s possible that these are the first castings used by Tesla to test their unboxed assembly process, which the Cybercab is expected to rely on. If you take a closer look at the video below, you’ll note that these new castings look very similar to the ones in the unboxed assembly video.
Interestingly, Tesla did say that they don’t intend to have the Cybercab available for customers before late 2026 or early 2027, but we’ll likely hear updated timelines as Tesla’s Q1 2025 Earnings Call tomorrow.
A more vertical look at the castings.
@JoeTegtmeyer
New Giga Presses
To top it all off, new parts for a Giga Press - the machine Tesla uses to make these castings - were also sighted in Texas. These machines are few and far between, and each one is highly specialized for the particular vehicle it produces. Seeing new parts coming in usually indicates that a new assembly line is under construction, or that changes are being made to an existing line to either expand it or update it.
There’s a lot happening and we will hopefully know more tomorrow evening.
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