Tesla finally adds a blind spot indicator to the Model 3 Highland
Tesla revealed the Model 3 Highland refresh last week with a lot more features than we expected, but one oft-requested feature was missing. But now, Tesla has updated the Model 3 Owner’s Manual in the EU, which shows that a genuine blind spot indicator is included with the refresh.
Blind spot indicators have become a standard feature on many cars in recent years, giving a visual indication to drivers whether another vehicle happens to be alongside them in a difficult-to-see location when changing lanes.
But Tesla so far has not had this feature. Until now, it has relied on its Autopilot camera system and its visualization features to provide drivers with more information on what might be in their blind spots.
These features bring up a view of the side camera whenever a driver uses the turn signal, allowing the driver to see what’s there, and shows a visualization of the area around the car and the other vehicles in that area.
But the issue here is that this means drivers need to look down and to the side at the vehicle’s center screen instead of looking out the windows/mirrors at what’s beside them when making a driving maneuver. It’s not too bad, but it’s not ideal, and at this point, many drivers are accustomed to having indicator lights near the A-pillar or on the side mirrors.
The situation is a little different on Model S and X, where those visualizations are provided in the driver’s instrument cluster, an additional screen in front of the driver, which the Model 3 does not have. This is a little easier for drivers to see than the center screen, but it’s still not the ideal situation when a driver is looking to their left or right to change lanes.
So finally, in the new Model 3 Highland refresh, we’re getting actual blind spot indicators inside the speaker grille next to the A-pillar. The European Model 3 owner’s manual shows what it will look like, and we’ve also seen it working for a short moment in a YouTube review of the car.
However, the Owner’s Manual does specifically say driver door. And we’ve only seen the LED light on that side, not on the passenger side. So this blind spot indicator might only be on the driver’s side of the vehicle, not the passenger side, which seems odd. Driver side blind spots are more pronounced because it’s harder to crane your neck around in that direction, but if it’s cheap and simple enough to add the indicator to one side, why not the other side too?
We have no indication that Tesla has added any new sensors to the vehicle, so it seems likely that it’s using the car’s autopilot cameras to detect cars in the blind spot, then lighting up the light if it detects one there when you’re trying to change lanes.
So far, this is the only Tesla to have a blind spot indicator. We don’t know if this feature will come to other cars any time soon, if it will only come to other models as part of a large refresh, or if Tesla only plans to put it on certain vehicles. (Ror example, perhaps it thinks the driver instrument cluster on the S/X will be enough.)
Electrek’s Take
Tesla has been known for “going its own way” in terms of standard features for quite some time, usually trying to leverage the many Autopilot cameras around the vehicle in order to replace sensors or indicators that come standard on other cars.
We’ve seen several examples of this, such as the “deep neural net” camera-based rain sensors (which don’t work great – mine triggered from seeing Styrofoam bits on the highway once), the vision-based park assist (which also doesn’t work great), and the removal of radar from its autopilot hardware (which is now going back in).
So it’s a bit of a surprise to see Tesla relent and move toward a standard detection feature that most other cars have, given that it has mostly been moving away from such in recent years.
I personally think that the blind spot cameras + visualization were pretty good and easy to use, so it’s interesting for Tesla to relent on this feature rather than some other ones that are a clear downgrade from industry-standard sensors. And strange if it’s only on one side, but we’ll have to wait for confirmation of that.
For more on the Model 3 Highland, check out our closer look at the Model 3 Highland from the IAA in Munich in this YouTube video below, though we didn’t get to test out the blind spot indicator ourselves on the show floor.
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Volkswagen is putting its Tesla Robotaxi rival through its paces in Wolfsburg, Germany, where the self-driving Gen.Urban research vehicle is now driving autonomously in real urban traffic – without a steering wheel or pedals!
VW’s Gen.Urban research project sets out to explore how passengers experience riding in a self-driving vehicle on real roads, among real drivers, and without a traditional steering wheel or pedals, and what those requirements might mean for future vehicle concepts.
Some of the key questions VW is asking include:
- How do people spend their time in a self-driving vehicle?
- Which digital features best support work, entertainment, or relaxation?
- How should interaction between the vehicle and passengers be designed, particularly for older people or children?
- Most importantly: Do people feel comfortable?
“The technology for autonomous driving is making rapid progress,” explains Dr. Nikolai Ardey, Head of Volkswagen Group Innovation. “With our Gen.Urban research vehicle, we want to understand exactly how passengers experience autonomous driving. Because: The key to a positive customer experience is to build trust – through meaningful interaction, a relaxed atmosphere, and intelligent assistance systems that respond precisely to the needs of passengers. Ultimately, technology should fit people, not the other way around. We will benefit from these insights across the entire Group in the long term.”
Not QUITE fully autonomous
It’s important to note here that, while Volkswagen designed the Gen.Urban without a steering wheel or pedals, the vehicles participating in these test have a trained safety driver monitoring the vehicle from the passenger seat, ready to step in to control the vehicle using a specially developed control panel with a joystick – which means we’re still a long way from the 2022 Volkswagen Gen.Travel concept (above).
Even so, Volkswagen’s autonomous driving efforts have been in public testing phases since at least 2023, when the company unveiled a fleet of ten specially modified VW.Buzz AD electric vans. Tests with those vans have gone well enough, at least, to lead Volkswagen to announce plans for large-scale production.
The current test phase is limited to Volkswagen Group employees as riders, and is planned for a period of several weeks. If results are satisfactory, VW could expand its rider base by the end of Q1.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volkswagen.
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Ask anyone who owned or owns one, and they’ll tell you that Honda Element was ahead of its time, delivering a flexible interior, car-like ride, and SUV-levels of visibility – and, if Honda really wanted to, they could roll out an all-new, all-electric Element riding on an Ultium-style electric skateboard tomorrow.
Honda’s first Element made its debut way back in 2003, when it was still a bit strange to think of companies like Cadillac, Volkswagen, and Porsche selling anything as big and clunky as an SUV. It earned plenty of fans, however, and for all the same reasons, they’ll love an electric Element even more.
Consider the following:
Car-like handling
The original Element rolled around on a lot of bits originally developed for the Honda Civic – widely regarded as a fun-to-drive, great-handling little car. That car-based chassis earned it some mockery among automotive journalists who, more than two decades ago, still widely believed that an SUV had to have some off-road chops to it.
Today, we’re a more enlightened bunch. In 2025, an SUV needs to be practical above all else, emphasizing the “Utility” aspect. With a low-slung, low-cg, and low-intrusion electric skateboard underneath its boxy body (more on that in a minute), a modern Element would be than more than capable of delivering a “car-like” ride with plenty of sporty acceleration, as well.
Flexible interior
Remember that comment about the low-intrusion nature of the Ultium EV chassis? Without a transmission tunnel to get in the way, Honda was able to offer a massive, flat floor that made the Element ideal for moving, camping, beach days, tailgating, antiquing, and (not to put too fine a point on it) drive-in movies – which we still had those in Florida until at least 2010.
In an EV, all that flat-floor goodness is still there, with the added benefit of being able to offer a flat floor without a transmission tunnel ruining the bedroom cargo bay.
Add a bit of extra width inherited from the Prologue, toss in a friendly ASIMO interface to keep the investment class happy, and offer a full range of inflatable tents, dog beds, and other overlanding, pet, or surf-friendly accessories, and Honda could watch the money roll in. At the very least, if Honda had built a modern Element instead of the Prologue on GM’s skateboard, they might have an easier time moving them in post-rebate America, I think. What do you guys think?
You guys are smart, so I’m sure you’ll be able to find all the problems with this particular take – and I can’t wait to hear them! Should it be FWD only? A plug-in hybrid? Ship with a tent? Scroll on down to the comments and let me know what you think it would take to make a battery-powered Honda Element revival make sense to you.
Original content from Electrek.
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File this under “wishful thinking” if you want, but a fresh trademark filing for the Buick Electra name could mean that the storied nameplate is set for a return to US shores.
GM Authority reports that Buick parent company General Motors has renewed its trademark for the Buick Electra name in the US in a filing from 09DEC2025 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and received an assigned serial number 99538079. The application carries a Goods and Services of, “Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles.”
Electra a nameplate that holds a long history with the near-luxe Buick brand and has generally been believed to be one that’s especially relevant to Buick’s electrification strategy in the US. That’s a notion that seems especially true when you consider the following two facts:
- the Buick Electra nameplate is already featured on a number of hugely successful GM products being sold in the ultra-competitive Chinese market
- 2027 is the fortieth anniversary of the Buick Grand National, and GM’s marketers are way too smart to let that moment slide
It’s worth noting, of course, that this most recent renewal for the Buick Electra trademark is a long, long way from a confirmation of a new all-electric Buick for the US market and even further from a confirmation that we’re getting the hot, sexy Electra GM sells in China. If anything, it’s likely just a matter of course legal thing that GM needs to protect its IP in China while, at the same time, preventing some kind of disastrous Sierra Mist scenario from playing out at home (which– yeah, I get that it’s not true, but you got the idea).
That said, I want to believe.
Electrek’s Take
I’m a huge fan of GM, GM’s EVs, and the way Mary Barra has managed the General over the past several years. I also think a big, sexy sedan is sorely missing from GM’s lineup, and the fast, flashy electric sedan formula might play better at the Buick store than at the Cadillac brand.
Combine that with an overwhelming desire to see a new-age Buick Grand National parked in my garage next Christmas and you can see that I’m not to be trusted. So, what say you? Head on down to the comments and let us know what you think of an American Electra revival just in time for the 2027 model year.
SOURCE | IMAGES: GM Authority; GM.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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