Ride the Lightning: Tesla and EV Podcast

Episode 533: Special Guest: Franz von Holzhausen (Yes, Again!)

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Oct 19, 2025

Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's Chief Designer, shares insights on his pivotal role in shaping Master Plan Part 4. He dives into the excitement around Tesla's future vehicle offerings, highlighting innovative designs and the evolution towards full autonomy. Franz discusses rare paint colors like Signature Red and Glacier Blue, sharing the challenges behind them. He also touches on the anticipated next-gen Roadster's driving experience, and the design goals behind the Model Y. Plus, he emphasizes the importance of shareholder voting in supporting Tesla's strategic vision.

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INSIGHT

Focus Beats Chasing Every Niche

Franz explains Tesla avoids chasing every niche vehicle segment to focus on making a few exceptional products well.
He warns spreading resources across many segments dilutes quality and impact, especially as autonomy scales.

ANECDOTE

Designing Model Y Long Wheelbase For China

Franz recounts designing the Model Y Long Wheelbase (Y-L) for China to optimize third-row comfort and space.
He credits learnings from Model X to create a compelling, locally successful product.

INSIGHT

Standard Y Balances Cost And Value

Franz frames the Standard Model Y as a careful balance: lower price while preserving perceived value and premium feel.
He cites center console redesign and textile seats as strategic material decisions to keep quality high.

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Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen sits down with me – yes, again! – to discuss Master Plan Part 4, his role as the company evolves, Tesla's rarest paint colors, and so much more!

TIMECODES:

8:00 Interview start 9:25 Discussing Master Plan Part 4 13:26 Will Tesla be making new vehicles in new segments in the next five years? 14:38 Will there be new Tesla vehicles other than the new Roadster that have manual steering inputs? 16:13 Autonomy is the focus 16:49 The next-gen Roadster will be a great driver's car that "looks at the limit of physics" 17:50 Franz says it's important to vote your shares in the current board proposals and shareholder vote 19:40 What Franz's role in Master Plan Part 4 would be 22:07 Cybercab is the beginning of where futuristic transport is going 22:40 Franz and his team work on the user interface and the Tesla website too 24:14 The Design team's software work is as important to them as its work on physical design 25:15 The user experience/in-car software will change when Tesla reaches full autonomy 26:00 Ryan advocates for a front bumper camera retrofit for new Model 3, S, and X owners; Franz responds 27:20 About the "Cyber SUV" seemingly hiding in plain sight in Tesla's Master Plan Part 4 video 29:26 Franz on why Tesla doesn't pursue lots of vehicle segments 30:49 Franz on the Model Y L 32:06 Why not bring the Model Y L to the US? 33:01 Is the 7-seat Model Y coming soon? 33:16 Talking about designing Model Y Standard 36:09 Franz on the new Model Y Performance 38:31 What Franz is daily driving right now 40:19 Frost Blue paint color's origins 40:52 Why Glacier Blue isn't available in the US yet 42:14 About Europe's new Marine Blue paint color 42:34 The fate of Midnight Cherry Red paint color 42:52 Tesla's rarest paint color 44:30 The six Tesla unicorn paint colors 46:33 Iterations of design to arrive at the new wheel designs for the Standard 3 and Y 48:41 More on the Model Y Standard 50:13 Biggest challenge in designing the Model Y Standard and Model 3 Standard 51:37 Most popular paint color when removing price from the equation 52:46 How the Tesla Diner will evolve in the coming weeks and months 56:30 What is still being tweaked on the Cybercab 57:44 Where Cybercab will deploy first 58:05 Franz on his experiences riding in Robotaxi so far 59:09 Franz on the refreshed Model S Plaid 1:00:52 How Franz views S and X these days and in the next few years 1:02:40 When the new Roadster will be re-revealed and when it might finally go into production 1:03:48 New Roadster's paint options 1:04:41 What Franz is like outside of Tesla's walls

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