New base-model Teslas have no radio

[YDR37]

Remember when it was shocking to learn that the Slate would not include a radio as a standard feature?

Well, Tesla has just announced two new, "more affordable" models: the Model 3 Standard RWD ($38,630 with destination and order fees) and Model Y Standard RWD ($41,630 with destination and order fees).

Guess what. No radio.

 

[Letas]

Do they have integrated speakers? That's the much larger issue.
Radios are relatively moot, a topic that has been beat to death here. No speakers is a much larger jump.

 

[YDR37]

Do they have integrated speakers? That's the much larger issue.
Radios are relatively moot, a topic that has been beat to death here. No speakers is a much larger jump.

Why are radios "relatively moot"? To my knowledge, all new cars in the US currently have a radio as a standard feature, although some EVs are FM-only. If that's correct, then Tesla will be the first to eliminate the radio entirely (both AM and FM), since the Standard RWD 3/Y will be on the market before the Slate.

Yes, they still have speakers, although the sound system is clearly downgraded relative to the higher priced trims.

 

[cadblu]

If you add premium connectivity for $99 per year you can stream all the music you want with Spotify free and Tune-in radio. No phone required. I currently have this feature and it works great.

 

[YDR37]

If you add premium connectivity for $99 per year you can stream all the music you want with Spotify free and Tune-in radio. No phone required. I currently have this feature and it works great.

OK -- but traditional radio costs $0 per year, includes live sports, and works in places where there is no cell reception.

To be fair, I'm sure that many drivers make little or no use of traditional AM/FM radios, and would be OK if the radio was an optional feature. It wouldn't surprise me at all if other car manufacturers are considering making radios optional. Although it will be a moot point if the "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act" passes, which seems likely.

 

[Letas]

Why are radios "relatively moot"? To my knowledge, all new cars in the US currently have a radio as a standard feature, although some EVs are FM-only. If that's correct, then Tesla will be the first to eliminate the radio entirely (both AM and FM), since the Standard RWD 3/Y will be on the market before the Slate.

Yes, they still have speakers, although the sound system is clearly downgraded relative to the higher priced trims.

Why are they moot? Because most people don't use them.

A vast vast majority of consumers- especially those buying a tech-heavy car in a Tesla- stream music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc from their phone (or integrated apps), as opposed to listening to the radio.

So yes, a big step removing it, because it is not the norm. But, most new cars also do not have a cigarette lighter, for the same reason.

Removing a radio is not equivalent to removing an entire audio system, in my opinion.

 

[Letas]

OK -- but traditional radio costs $0 per year, includes live sports, and works in places where there is no cell reception.

To be fair, I'm sure that many drivers make little or no use of traditional AM/FM radios, and would be OK if the radio was an optional feature. It wouldn't surprise me at all if other car manufacturers are considering making radios optional. Although it will be a moot point if the "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act" passes, which seems likely.

May I introduce you to downloaded music?

I spend a lot of time in areas with no cell service, and often times areas where the radio doesn't reach. Spotify downloads have never failed me.

Live sports are great, if you are okay listening to the one team broadcasted in your area. Streaming audio of games is a much better option if you are not a local fan.

 

[YDR37]

Why are they moot? Because most people don't use them.

That's probably true for some demographics, but not for the country as a whole. For example, this August 2024 study claims otherwise:

Radio Still Rules the Road

Even though the rise of smartphones and streaming services has changed the way people listen to music radically, there is still one place where radio still reigns supreme: the automobile. According to Edison Research, 70 percent of American drivers listen to the radio while in the car, making it the number 1 audio source on U.S. highways.

With in-car entertainment systems that connect to smartphones via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto more and more common in modern cars, digital music consumption has been catching up in recent years, but for now the good old radio remains America's most popular roadside companion.

May I introduce you to downloaded music?

No need, I am familiar with the playback of locally stored music in moving vehicles. Not just music downloads: I have also used CDs, cassettes, and even 8-tracks in cars and trucks. But those technologies didn't replace radio either.

Live sports are great, if you are okay listening to the one team broadcasted in your area. Streaming audio of games is a much better option if you are not a local fan.

In general, sports radio stations cannot stream professional sports outside of their broadcast areas (although college sports are often available). If you are in California and try to stream a NY Mets game from a NY station, it will check your IP address and deny the stream. This is because MLB controls the streaming rights, and they don't want you to stream for free, unless you are in area where you could listen for free on the radio anyway.

You can stream non-local games if you pay MLB for an audio subscription, but that's an additional charge on top of your phone or premium connectivity bill. And yes, I actually do pay for that, because I like listening to out-of-town games. But plenty of fans only follow the local team, and are accustomed to doing that for free with their radios.

 

[Letas]

That's probably true for some demographics, but not for the country as a whole. For example, this August 2024 study claims otherwise:


No need, I am familiar with the playback of locally stored music in moving vehicles. Not just music downloads: I have also used CDs, cassettes, and even 8-tracks in cars and trucks. But those technologies didn't replace radio either.

In general, sports radio stations cannot stream professional sports outside of their broadcast areas (although college sports are often available). If you are in California and try to stream a NY Mets game from a NY station, it will check your IP address and deny the stream. This is because MLB controls the streaming rights, and they don't want you to stream for free, unless you are in area where you could listen for free on the radio anyway.

You can stream non-local games if you pay MLB for an audio subscription, but that's an additional charge on top of your phone or premium connectivity bill. And yes, I actually do pay for that, because I like listening to out-of-town games. But plenty of fans only follow the local team, and are accustomed to doing that for free with their radios.

Fair enough points. We don't have to agree.

Only point I am surprised by is that 70% figure. Feels awfully high to me, anecdotally, but perhaps is my biases.

 

[KevinRS]

I think once a driver starts streaming music or other audio in their car, as long as data use isn't an issue, nearly all never go back. I don't yet have a car with a streaming option, but the local radio station advertises that you can stream and keep listening at work. That would make it only a small jump to stream the radio station to your radio-less car if you really want to listen to them. It also still works if you travel far enough that you go out of a station's range.
If I travel to my sister's house, right at the limit of Slate's standard battery, I have to change stations twice each way. That 70% may be driven in part by people driving older cars, with standard radios that don't include the option to play music from the phone.

 

[YDR37]

Removing a radio is not equivalent to removing an entire audio system, in my opinion.

I get what you're saying here: Tesla is only removing the radio, while Slate is removing the whole sound system. But you could make a case that what Tesla is doing is actually more radical.

Let's say someone buys a Model Y Standard RWD and then realizes that they want a radio. How easy will be it to add one? On most cars, adding an aftermarket radio is a routine modification, but I'll that Tesla has made no provision whatsoever for it. Sure, a good car stereo place can probably tear apart the dash, make the necessary connections, and find a place to physically mount the radio unit. But it won't be easy or cheap, the radio won't be integrated with Tesla's software, and it will look out of place in the minimalistic Tesla interior.

In contrast, Slate may not provide a sound system, but Slates are designed to be customized, and it should be no problem to add one. The dash will have places for a radio and speakers, maybe with pre-wired connections. I'll bet that you can add whatever aftermarket equipment you want with minimal hassle, and it will look fine.

Toyota takes this approach withe the Hilux Champ, an ultra-cheap truck sold in developing Asia countries. Toyota considered including an inexpensive sound system, but then they discovered that Asian truck buyers routinely tore out the factory sound system and replaced it with better quality components. Obviously that's a waste, so Toyota opted to simply provide prewired spaces in the dash for buyers to complete as they see fit.

 

[cadblu]

Tesla didn’t just remove radio functionality to achieve the lower price point in the new standard models. They also removed (to name a few):

• Power folding mirrors
• Power adjusted steering wheel
• Power folding & heated rear seats
• Autopilot
• Rear touchscreen display
• Rear electronically controlled air vents
• Adaptive suspension
• Storage console
• Some premium touch materials, eg. Suede

They left in 7 audio speakers and an amplifier for those looking to an add music via WiFi, premium connectivity, a software app, or a USB stick.

 

[YDR37]

Tesla didn’t just remove radio functionality to achieve the lower price point in the new standard models.

There's a long list of changes. Sawyer Merrit has compiled them here (although he apparently missed the removal of the FM radio).

None of the changes, by themselves, are shocking. But taking them all together, it seems like a lot of cuts for just $5,000 savings.

 

[Luxrage]

I think that's still pretty pricey for everything they removed. Especially as they will now stick out as 'budget' Teslas. I still can't get over the Model Y having the glass roof covered, surely it was cheaper to just keep the roof as-is insted of designing new panels, a cover, etc. The Model 3 cheap one didn't have its roof covered.

There's a few other design choices that don't make sense to me like that. Like why make a separate bumper cover instead of just putting a blanking panel where the light-bar goes? I feel like this is a way to say "these models START at ______" now that the EV incentives are gone.

Edit: Hyundai dropped the price of their base EV 7 grand without de-contenting.

 

[YDR37]

I think once a driver starts streaming music or other audio in their car, as long as data use isn't an issue, nearly all never go back.

But data use is always a consideration. Radio reception is free; cellular data isn't. If streaming means that you need to pay extra each month for an unlimited data plan on your phone, or if you need to pay a monthly bill for vehicle connectivity, those costs are real.

It also still works if you travel far enough that you go out of a station's range.

True, but conversely, radio commonly works in areas that have no cell reception.