Elon Musk: New Tesla Model S will "guess" if you want park or reverse
Tesla's Model S and Model X redesign may have thoroughly revamped the electric cars' high-tech cabins, but it's how Elon Musk is upending familiar driving controls that may prove most controversial. Unveiled on Wednesday as Tesla announced its latest financial results, the new Model S sedan and Model X SUV both add high-performance "Plaid" models to their line-ups, as well as longer range options that eventually could offer over 520 miles of driving.
While the speed is certainly impressive – with the Tesla Model S Plaid expected to do 0-60 mph in under 2.0 seconds, vanquishing most gas-powered exotics in the process, and heading northwards of 200 mph – it's the cabin changes which are most eye-catching. As the oldest models in Tesla's current line-up, the Model S and Model X interiors were starting to look a little fussy and dated compared to the cleaner, more minimalistic lines of the Model 3 and Model Y.
![](https://www.slashgear.com/img/gallery/elon-musk-new-tesla-model-s-will-guess-if-you-want-park-or-reverse/S_Game_from_Anywhere-1.jpeg)
That aesthetic has been brought over now, including rotating the 17-inch center touchscreen to landscape orientation, and adding a new, rear passenger display in the rear. There's also Tesla's touchscreen-controlled vents, together with a significant processor upgrade that should allow the car to run AAA video games among other things: according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it's capable of running Cyberpunk 2077, in fact.
![](https://www.slashgear.com/img/gallery/elon-musk-new-tesla-model-s-will-guess-if-you-want-park-or-reverse/S_Yoke_Steering-1.jpeg)
Gone, though, is the circular steering wheel. In its place is a cut-back version, which Tesla is calling the "yoke" and which more resembles something you'd find in a plane than a car. It's probably the most divisive new styling feature, particularly as it also includes some of the vehicle's primary controls.
Touch-sensitive buttons on the left side handle the indicators, rather than using a traditional stalk. Other similar buttons handle the lights, trigger the voice recognition, and control multimedia. Two scroll wheels can navigate through the dedicated 12.3-inch driver display behind the wheel.
![](https://www.slashgear.com/img/gallery/elon-musk-new-tesla-model-s-will-guess-if-you-want-park-or-reverse/S_Three_Displays-1.jpeg)
Gone, too, is the drive selector. In fact, Elon Musk has confirmed, the traditional PRNDL control is absent altogether, at least in physical form. Instead, he says, the Model S and Model X will figure out what direction you want to go in.
"No more stalks," Musk confirmed on Twitter. "Car guesses drive direction based on what obstacles it sees, context & nav map. You can override on touchscreen."
No more stalks. Car guesses drive direction based on what obstacles it sees, context & nav map. You can override on touchscreen.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 28, 2021
It's an ambitious move, certainly, though one which Musk seems to think drivers will quickly come to appreciate. "After you drive without using a PRND stalk/stick for a few days," he added, "it gets very annoying to go back & use a shifter!"
Certainly, Tesla owners have typically been quick to adapt to some of the automaker's more unusual changes. Nonetheless the absence of such a familiar control – and the reliance on the car intuiting just what you intend – seems like it could also come with challenges of its own. Deliveries of the new Model S are expected to begin from March, with Tesla ramping up production this quarter.