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Tesla Has a New Halloween Trick for Its Owners

Tesla is getting into the Halloween spirit with a new software update that transforms its electric vehicles into rolling haunted houses. The latest Tesla Halloween Mode adds spooky graphics, sounds and lighting effects, giving owners a seasonal dose of entertainment through the company’s familiar Toybox feature.

Announced in early October, the update introduces a redesigned vehicle visualization and a series of Halloween-themed effects. Tesla describes the experience as a “haunted house on wheels,” turning the car’s central display into a digital playground filled with ghosts, pumpkins, skeletons and other Halloween imagery.

Tesla Halloween Mode Adds Ghosts, Pumpkins and a Haunted Graveyard

The most obvious change appears on the central touchscreen, where the vehicle visualization can now wear a ghost costume. Instead of the usual representation of the Tesla, the car is covered by what looks like a classic white sheet, complete with a distinctly Halloween-inspired appearance.

Tesla has also added a new “Trick or Treat” function. When activated, the vehicle can play spooky sounds while switching its exterior lights on and off as someone approaches the car. It is a simple feature, but one that fits neatly with Tesla’s long-standing habit of hiding playful software features inside its vehicles.

The parked-car display receives an even more dramatic makeover. Tesla’s videos show the vehicle sitting in a virtual graveyard beneath a full moon, surrounded by glowing pumpkins. A haunted house appears in the distance, while a skeleton and a mysterious hand emerging from the ground complete the scene.

It is considerably more elaborate than a simple change to the vehicle icon and demonstrates how Tesla continues to use software as a way of adding new experiences to its cars without changing any physical hardware.

Tesla Continues Its Toybox Tradition

Halloween Mode is the latest addition to Tesla’s Toybox collection, which has become one of the company’s most recognizable software features.

Tesla has previously used Toybox to introduce a variety of Easter eggs and seasonal features, including Santa Mode. That holiday-themed mode turns the vehicle visualization into a festive experience and has remained available beyond the Christmas season.

The arrival of Halloween Mode raises an interesting question: will Tesla continue expanding its collection of permanent seasonal themes?

If Santa Mode is any indication, Halloween Mode could remain inside the Toybox menu after October ends. That would allow Tesla owners to activate the spooky graphics and effects whenever they want rather than limiting the feature to Halloween.

For Tesla, it is another example of how software can give an otherwise familiar vehicle a completely different personality.

Tesla Takes Inspiration From Rivian

Tesla is not the first electric vehicle manufacturer to experiment with Halloween-themed vehicle software.

Rivian has offered similar seasonal features for several years. In 2024, the American EV manufacturer introduced three Halloween-themed “costumes” for parked vehicles.

Rivian’s implementation went beyond simple graphics. Pedestrians shown on the vehicle display could be transformed into zombies, while cyclists and motorcyclists could appear as Headless Horsemen.

Tesla’s approach is somewhat different, but the idea is fundamentally the same: use the vehicle’s cameras, displays and software to create a temporary digital world around the car.

As electric vehicles become increasingly software-defined, features like these are becoming another way for manufacturers to differentiate their products. They may not improve range, acceleration or charging speed, but they can make the ownership experience more entertaining.

Not Every Tesla May Get the Full Halloween Experience

There is one important technical limitation to Tesla’s Halloween update.

The most sophisticated full-screen 3D visualizations require the more powerful AMD Ryzen-based computers fitted to newer Tesla vehicles. Older models equipped with Intel processors are therefore not expected to support the complete graveyard scene shown in Tesla’s promotional material.

That does not necessarily mean older Teslas will miss out entirely. Other Halloween-themed additions, including some of the visual and audio effects, may still be available depending on the vehicle’s hardware and software configuration.

This is becoming increasingly relevant as Tesla continues to add software features that rely on increasingly powerful in-car computing hardware. While over-the-air updates allow Tesla to add new capabilities years after a vehicle has left the factory, hardware differences can determine which features older cars are able to run.

Tesla Teases Halloween With Optimus

Tesla began building anticipation for the update in early October with a post on X featuring the message “Halloween is coming.”

The short video showed a pumpkin, a Tesla dressed as a ghost and the hand of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot rising from the ground in zombie-like fashion.

The teaser fits Tesla’s broader strategy of turning software announcements into events of their own. Rather than simply listing the functions included in an update, the company has increasingly used visual Easter eggs and social-media teasers to generate interest among its owners and followers.

With Halloween Mode, the car itself becomes part of the celebration.

A Software Feature That Shows Tesla’s Unusual Approach to Car Ownership

Tesla Halloween Mode is not a feature that changes the way a Tesla drives. It does not increase performance, improve efficiency or add driving range. Instead, it illustrates another aspect of Tesla’s approach to automotive software.

Traditional carmakers typically rely on physical equipment, accessories and styling packages to differentiate vehicles. Tesla can use an over-the-air software update to give thousands of cars a completely different visual identity almost instantly.

That flexibility has become one of the defining characteristics of the modern Tesla ownership experience.

Whether owners actually use the Halloween features for more than a few minutes is another question. But features like these help reinforce Tesla’s reputation for treating its vehicles as software platforms as much as conventional automobiles.

And if Halloween Mode follows the same path as Santa Mode, Tesla owners may soon have a growing collection of seasonal personalities to choose from whenever they open the Toybox menu.

For now, however, Tesla’s latest software update gives its electric cars a suitably spooky makeover—complete with ghosts, graveyards, pumpkins, skeletons and a few tricks waiting for anyone brave enough to approach the car.

Source: Tesla via Instagram

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Alpine PS1 Concept Teased Ahead of Paris Motor Show

Alpine is preparing to unveil a mysterious new concept at next week’s Paris Motor Show, and the Alpine PS1 could provide an early glimpse of one of the French performance brand’s most ambitious future models.

Known internally as Projet Spécial 1, or PS1, the new concept is being positioned outside Alpine’s conventional model range. The company says the name reflects the car’s status beyond its “everyday” models, including the A290 and A390, as well as the iconic A110 sports car.

Alpine has released only a single teaser image so far, but it is enough to trigger plenty of speculation about what the PS1 could preview.

Alpine PS1 Teaser Hints at a Dramatic New Sports Car

The teaser focuses on an extremely narrow headlight illuminated in the colours of the French flag. While the image reveals very little of the vehicle itself, the visible bodywork suggests that the PS1 could be significantly more aggressive than Alpine’s current production cars.

Perhaps the most intriguing detail is the dark silhouette behind the illuminated headlight. It appears to reveal a large rear spoiler, suggesting that the PS1 could be more than a purely design-focused concept.

The shape of the front end also appears to feature a straight-edged front wing, a detail that could be an intentional reference to Alpine’s sporting heritage.

The company has yet to confirm whether the PS1 previews a production model or simply represents an experimental design study.

Could the PS1 Preview Alpine’s Ferrari SF90 Rival?

One of the most exciting possibilities is that the Alpine PS1 could offer an early indication of the design direction for the company’s upcoming flagship performance car.

Alpine is expected to launch a new high-performance model in 2028 that will sit above the A110 and target cars such as the Ferrari SF90.

The forthcoming Alpine flagship is expected to use a turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrain, with total system output reportedly exceeding 1,000bhp.

If that connection proves correct, the PS1 could be particularly significant. Rather than being simply a styling exercise, the concept could preview the visual identity of Alpine’s first genuine supercar-class contender.

The teaser’s apparent rear wing would certainly fit that theory, suggesting a car developed with aerodynamics and high-speed performance in mind.

However, Alpine has not confirmed that the PS1 is directly related to the future V6 hybrid flagship.

Alpine A310 Successor Is Another Possibility

There is another intriguing possibility: the PS1 could preview the long-awaited return of the Alpine A310.

The original A310 was produced from 1971 until 1984 and was positioned as a larger, more practical sports car than the A110. Unlike the two-seat A110, the A310 offered a 2+2 configuration, making it a potential rival to cars such as the Porsche 911.

The teaser contains a design detail that makes the A310 theory particularly interesting.

The narrow headlight appears to sit next to a sharply defined, straight-edged wing. That treatment could be interpreted as a modern interpretation of the lightweight A310’s distinctive front-end design.

According to previous reports, Alpine is planning to introduce a new A310 in 2028, giving the brand a 2+2 sports car positioned directly against the Porsche 911.

If the PS1 is indeed connected to that project, the Paris concept could provide the first meaningful indication of how Alpine intends to reinterpret one of its most historically important models.

The PS1 Is Not the Next-Generation A110

Alpine has also made it clear that the PS1 should not be confused with the company’s next-generation A110.

The new A110 is expected to continue Alpine’s lightweight sports-car philosophy, but its design has already been previewed in a different form. A sculpture showing elements of the next-generation A110 will also be displayed at the Paris Motor Show.

That effectively leaves the PS1 occupying a different position within Alpine’s future product strategy.

The distinction is important because Alpine is rapidly expanding beyond the traditional A110 formula. The A290 and A390 have already broadened the brand into electric hatchback and crossover territory, while future models are expected to push Alpine further into higher-performance and more luxurious segments.

Alpine’s Future Is Expanding Beyond the A110

For decades, Alpine was primarily associated with lightweight sports cars, particularly the A110. Renault’s modern revival of the brand initially followed that philosophy, but the company now has much broader ambitions.

The A290 represents Alpine’s entry into the hot-hatch segment, while the A390 expands the brand into the performance crossover market.

A potential A310 would give Alpine a larger 2+2 grand touring-style sports car, while the expected 1,000bhp-plus hybrid flagship would take the brand into an entirely different performance category.

The PS1 could therefore be an important piece of this transformation.

Its name – Projet Spécial 1 – suggests that Alpine itself views the project as something different from its regular model portfolio. That could mean an ultra-low-volume special, a design manifesto, or a preview of an entirely new flagship.

Paris Motor Show Could Reveal Alpine’s Next Big Move

The upcoming Paris Motor Show should provide considerably more answers.

Alpine is expected to reveal the PS1 concept alongside the design sculpture previewing the next-generation A110. Seeing both projects together could offer valuable insight into the future visual language of the brand.

For now, the teaser leaves Alpine fans with two particularly compelling possibilities.

The PS1 could be an early preview of Alpine’s forthcoming 1,000bhp-plus V6 hybrid flagship, potentially positioning the French marque against the Ferrari SF90 and other high-performance hybrid supercars.

Alternatively, it could point toward the return of the Alpine A310, a 2+2 sports car expected to challenge the Porsche 911 while reviving one of the company’s most recognizable historic nameplates.

Either way, the PS1 appears to represent something considerably more ambitious than another Alpine concept.

With its French-flag lighting signature, ultra-slim headlight and apparent rear spoiler, the mysterious prototype looks set to become one of the most closely watched premieres at the Paris Motor Show.

Source: Alpine

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New Freelander Brand Confirmed for the UK as Chery and JLR Prepare New SUV Range

The new Freelander brand is officially set to launch in the UK, marking a significant new chapter for the name once associated with Land Rover’s popular compact SUV. Created through a collaboration between Chinese automotive giant Chery and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the new marque will target international markets with a range of electrified SUVs positioned below JLR’s premium models.

While the British launch has been confirmed, Freelander has yet to reveal exactly when its cars will arrive in the UK or which company will be responsible for importing and distributing the vehicles.

The brand’s global expansion will take place in several stages. The UK and wider European markets are planned as part of what Freelander describes as its “third wave” of international expansion.

Freelander’s Global Expansion Will Begin Outside Europe

Freelander’s first overseas markets will be in the Middle East and North Africa before the brand moves into right-hand-drive markets such as Australia and New Zealand.

The UK and Europe will follow later, although Freelander has not yet announced a specific launch date.

The strategy represents an important step for a brand that is closely linked to both Chery and JLR. Rather than simply exporting existing Chinese-market vehicles, Freelander says its future European products will be developed with individual markets in mind.

Freelander CEO Wen Fei has previously indicated that vehicles destined for Europe will not simply be adapted versions of models already sold in China. Instead, the company intends to develop derivatives specifically tailored to European customers and market requirements.

That approach could prove crucial as Freelander attempts to establish itself in one of the world’s most competitive automotive markets.

JLR Gives Chery Freedom to Develop the Freelander Brand

Although the Freelander name has its roots in Land Rover, JLR has made it clear that Chery will have considerable freedom in determining the direction of the new brand.

JLR chief executive PB Balaji previously confirmed that the British company would not stand in the way of Freelander entering the UK.

Speaking in May, Balaji described the new vehicle range as Chery’s responsibility, while explaining that JLR’s role would be primarily related to ensuring the brand’s design remains consistent with the values associated with JLR.

“From our perspective, our role is ensuring that the design is in sync with what JLR stands for, and thereafter it is completely their baby,” Balaji said.

That arrangement gives Chery the opportunity to build Freelander into a global automotive brand while maintaining a connection with the heritage of the original Land Rover Freelander.

Freelander 8 Leads the New SUV Line-Up

The first model from the revived Freelander brand is the Freelander 8, a large SUV designed around a plug-in-hybrid powertrain.

The Freelander 8 combines a 2.0-litre petrol engine with two electric motors. Together, the system produces a substantial 617bhp and sends power to all four wheels.

The combination of petrol and electric propulsion is intended to give the large SUV both long-distance capability and the ability to cover substantial journeys using electric power alone.

A 34kWh battery provides an electric-only range of up to 68 miles, according to the company. The battery can also be recharged at rates of up to 350kW, potentially giving the Freelander 8 exceptionally rapid charging capability for a plug-in-hybrid SUV.

With its combination of high power, all-wheel drive and long electric range, the Freelander 8 is clearly positioned as a technology-focused flagship for the new brand.

European Freelander Models Could Be Very Different

One of the most interesting aspects of the Freelander project is the company’s promise that European-market vehicles will not simply be Chinese models with minor modifications.

Freelander has indicated that cars exported to Europe will instead be developed as new derivatives tailored to the requirements of individual markets.

That could mean changes to styling, chassis tuning, powertrain specifications, equipment and potentially vehicle dimensions, depending on the requirements of European customers.

For the UK in particular, the brand’s arrival could provide an interesting alternative in the increasingly competitive premium and near-premium SUV market.

Freelander will also have to contend with increasingly strict European emissions regulations and strong demand for electrified powertrains, making plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles likely to play an important role in its future range.

Freelander Expected to Undercut JLR Models on Price

Pricing will be one of the biggest questions surrounding the Freelander brand’s UK launch.

No UK prices have been announced, but JLR has already indicated that Freelander will occupy a different position from its own premium products.

Balaji previously explained that the pricing strategy of the new brand would be separate from JLR’s existing positioning.

“The price positioning of Freelander and our price positions are different,” he said.

That suggests Freelander could be positioned below comparable Jaguar and Land Rover products, giving Chery an opportunity to compete for customers looking for premium-looking SUVs and advanced electrified powertrains without the price tag associated with established luxury brands.

A New Rival for Europe’s SUV Market

The arrival of Freelander could add another major Chinese automotive challenger to the UK and European markets.

The brand has several advantages from the outset: access to Chery’s manufacturing and technology resources, a name with strong recognition among Land Rover enthusiasts, and a relationship with JLR that could help establish design credibility.

However, Freelander will still have to build its own reputation for reliability, quality, customer service and residual values.

The UK launch is therefore potentially much more significant than simply the return of a familiar name. It could mark the emergence of an entirely new global SUV brand operating between mainstream Chinese manufacturers and established premium European marques.

For now, the biggest unanswered question is timing. Freelander has confirmed that the UK is part of its expansion strategy, but the company has not yet revealed when British customers will be able to buy its vehicles.

If the Freelander 8 is representative of what is to come, the new brand is likely to arrive in Britain with a strong focus on high-performance hybrid powertrains, long electric ranges and aggressive pricing.

The original Freelander helped establish Land Rover in the compact SUV market. Its modern successor could now attempt something very different: using Chery’s technology and global ambitions to create a new international automotive brand carrying one of Britain’s most recognisable SUV names.

Source: Autocar

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