“This year we will not do any renewal of the Model Y,” declared Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, in early 2024. “I should note that Tesla continually improves its cars, so even a car six months newer will be a little better” .
Apart from the constant updates of softwarea substantially updated Model Y is expected to land in the first quarter of 2025. Efficiency and performance will be improved, and new damping will help handling. Inside, more primary controls will move to the touchscreen, including the gear selector. A 360-degree acoustic glass will be introduced and rear passengers will have entertainment screens for streaming content, games and air conditioning.
All of this will be analyzed and debated with the mania that characterizes Tesla followers. However, not everyone who ends up in a Model Y has a say. In fact, some can’t even speak. Still, they have had a powerful influence on the car’s design, and concern for their well-being appears to have contributed to its launch being delayed.
Yes, apparently the car’s “narrow third row” is being redesigned to be more dog-friendly and therefore more popular in China, where domestic rivals have more spacious interiors. This is an unusual fact that raises the question: how many car manufacturers take canine needs into account when developing new models?
Canine purchasing power
“Our approach is not about function. We try to make a great car that people can find uses for,” says Andrew Wheel, director of production design and quality at Jaguar Land Rover, “we’ve always been aware that versatility and flexibility are key competitive advantages.
There isn’t a single car manufacturer that isn’t obsessed with the “lifestyle” attributes of their products. Of course, part of this is marketing, but many of us have dogs in the household and larger breeds need space.
So there have been some interesting innovations. Tesla offers a “dog mode” that allows maintaining a comfortable temperature in the cabin when the owner leaves the vehicle. This is controlled via a mobile app and a live camera, while passers-by are reassured by seeing the cabin temperature on the car’s main screen along with an explanatory graph. Keep in mind that electric sunroofs do not operate in dog mode, to avoid accidentally pressing the buttons, although that is taking the idea of canine sensitivity a bit too far.
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