Tesla is reversing one of its most controversial design decisions. Two years after stripping the Model 3 of its traditional steering column stalks in the Highland refresh, the automaker is now reintroducing the turn signal lever—at least in China.
The decision is not about giving customers options, but instead admitting a design flaw due to a misperception of regional preferences. To set things straight, new Model 3s built at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory and delivered to Chinese customers will now come equipped with a conventional turn signal stalk.
New steering wheel
For those who purchased a stalk-less car earlier this year, Tesla is offering a retrofit option through its service centers. The so-called “Turn Signal Lever Modification” is priced at 2,499 yuan (about €325) and requires the installation of a new, button-free steering wheel.
The correction highlights automakers’ struggle – with Tesla in the forefront – to balance their minimalist interior design philosophy, centered on touch screens, with driver usability. Car brands like Volkswagen and Hyundai are also reversing their decision to delete buttons in the interior, for example.
Proven concept
In the case of Tesla, the new approach was a nod toward the future of automated driving. But owners found the stalk-less setup unintuitive, requiring more precise inputs at moments when a simple flick of a lever would have sufficed. Sometimes, a proven concept works best. Fun fact: The first brand to ditch the classic stalk was Ferrari, and the Italian brand continues to use this solution in its current lineup.
Tesla has not announced plans to offer the retrofit outside China. On the Belgian website, Model 3s are still pictured with steering wheel buttons. Still, the fact that the updated Model Y recently reintroduced a turn signal stalk suggests Tesla may be considering extending the change globally.
Mounting legal battles
More trouble for Tesla is emerging in the US, where a judge has decided to allow a California class action lawsuit against the brand over its self-driving claims. Two groups of Tesla owners may now pursue allegations that the automaker overstated the hardware and performance of its Full Self-Driving package (FSD), which has been marketed since 2016 as capable of enabling unsupervised autonomous driving.
Tesla has been rejecting the claim to the class action, defending that all vehicles produced since 2016 were equipped with the necessary hardware for full autonomy. Still, the judge noted the company has not demonstrated a “long-distance autonomous drive with any of its vehicles.”
The ruling adds to Tesla’s mounting legal challenges around Autopilot and FSD. Earlier this month, the company was found partially liable (for 33%) in a wrongful death case tied to a fatal Autopilot crash. This has opened doors to a wave of similar lawsuits. At least a dozen cases are now moving forward in US courts.
