Tesla has introduced a Tron mode option to its vehicles’ display screens as part of a brand partnership with Disney — a first-of-its-kind deal by the automaker.
Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck owners now have access to a Tron option that adapts the standard vehicle icon on the in-car screen into the Light Cycle from the films, complete with trailing illumination effects. Teslas with RGB lighting can also shift their cockpit hue to a deep red as part of the mode.
The update was introduced on 10 October to coincide with the premiere of Tron: Ares, the third instalment in the sci-fi franchise.
Tesla’s cars have long included playful software features such as Santa Mode and an in-car light show. But this is the first time it has used its software interface as part of a branded collaboration.
Reaction from Tesla owners has been mixed. Some praised it as a fun easter egg, while others complained about a whole system update for the sake of a minor aesthetic change. But the most common criticism was that the Tron mode amounted to an in-car ad — which, to be fair, is accurate.
It is possible that Tron mode is a one-off collaboration rather than an opening of the floodgates to brand partnerships. But it’s a noteworthy move from an automaker that has defined itself by the purity of its product, and it comes during a difficult year for Tesla, in which profit has declined and competition increased.
Tesla’s choice of brand partner is also surprising, given CEO Elon Musk’s public clashes with Disney, after the latter stopped advertising on social media platform X (which Musk also owns) in 2023. Amid the dispute, Musk called for Disney CEO Bob Iger to be ‘fired immediately’, and he has repeatedly criticised the company’s ‘left-wing bias’. Tesla even removed the Disney+ app from its infotainment service as part of the spat.
No financial details about the Disney-Tesla deal have been revealed, but the promotion extended beyond the in-car display screen. At the Tron: Ares premiere in Los Angeles, Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, appeared on stage for a mock duel with the movie’s lead, Jared Leto. Grok — X’s AI chatbot — was fitted with a Tron: Ares outfit, too.
Main image from Tesla’s post on X.
