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Mystery surrounds spy images of a prototype Tesla, which could be hiding forthcoming updates to the Model 3 electric car.
An updated 2023 Tesla Model 3 may arrive next year with a number of changes, and now a new prototype has been spotted hinting at a refreshed exterior.
But despite the camo, it’s not clear whether the updated electric car will receive much of a cosmetic facelift, or if the Model 3 will follow the Model S and X with very minor changes to the headlights and tail-lights.
Another possibility is that Tesla engineers are testing new cameras or sensors, following the company’s decision to move to camera-based safety and driver-assistance systems in October 2022.
Some internet sleuths have suggested the prototype has new cameras embedded in the upper corners of the headlights.
When Tesla announced it was removing ultrasonic sensors from its vehicles, the carmaker admitted the cameras to replace them weren’t yet ready for customers.
“For a short period of time during this transition, Tesla Vision vehicles that are not equipped with [ultrasonic sensors] will be delivered with some features temporarily limited or inactive,” the company said in a statement at the time.
“In the near future, once these features achieve performance parity to today’s vehicles, they will be restored via a series of over-the-air software updates.”
Whether the vehicle updates are noticeable on the outside or not, it’s expected most of the changes will take place inside the car.
While the Model 3 has arguably one of the most minimalistic interiors of any car on sale today, earlier reports suggested the ‘facelift’ will result in the number of components being reduced – which would reduce both material and labour costs.
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