Tesla offers 256-color Model Y ambient light installation to go with its new karaoke mics kit
Some Model Y owners who got their vehicles between January 24, 2022 and October 1, 2023 in China, will now be able to set an appointment with Tesla to install a new RGB light set.
The multicolor ambient lighting retrofits for those Model Y units cost the equivalent of $180, a rather reasonable pricing. It does require replacing the wood grain dashboard with the textile one Tesla started installing during the last minor Model Y facelift at Giga Shanghai, though.
"The ambient light is even and soft, creating an immersive in-car experience and adding a unique charm," waxes poetic Tesla. The Model Y RGB lighting retrofit comes with 256 colors and touch control to change them at will.
Since the installation includes both hardware and software changes, so Tesla advises scheduling a service center appointment 5 days in advance via the app:
The installation of this product requires corresponding communication connection and firmware update, which requires maintenance technicians with specialized maintenance knowledge and experience to implement and use professional tools.
When an order for the new Model Y lighting retrofit is placed via the app, Tesla will first verify whether it belongs to one of those batches that allow the dashboard and ambient light installation in the first place.
It is not clear if and when the colorful Model Y lighting will make its way stateside, though, so owners here will probably have to continue getting third-party Model Y LED light retrofit kits.
Tesla CaraokeMic price and features
However, Tesla's other new product for in-car fun - the CaraokeMic - was made available for purchase in the US as well.
It is basically a set of two wireless microphones priced at $215, and Tesla promises "anti-howling technology so all your notes come through crisp and clear."
In China, where nearly every major EV brand ships its cars with a karaoke function, the CaraokeMic set costs the equivalent of $165. Tesla's karaoke microphones also come with a much more comprehensive packaging and feature description there, too:
- Dynamic sound capsule
- DSP Processing Chip
- Anti-howling technology
- Supercardioid pickup design
- Built-in multiple sound effect modes
- U segment signal transmission
- Automatic pairing, plug and play
- More than 10 hours of continuous use
The CaraokeMic is priced higher than UHF karaoke mic sets for the Model Y that can be had on Amazon, yet it does come with the Tesla logo on both the mics and the storage bag. In China, however, the kit comes in a fancier red box with a TeslaMic logo.
Tesla also warns that the CaraokeMic kit can't be used on vehicles with NVIDIA processors, and will need at least firmware 2024.26 to function.
