Tesla Australia and New Zealand have announced the rollout of Grok, an artificial intelligence companion built by xAI, beginning today with vehicles equipped with HW3 hardware.
The phased deployment will start with HW3 vehicle owners receiving software updates to access the AI assistant, with HW4 vehicles to follow in subsequent waves over the coming days.
Grok is designed to deliver responses to questions across a wide range of topics and can now initiate navigation commands in Tesla vehicles, including setting destinations, adjusting routes, and discovering points of interest.
To use Grok for navigation commands, vehicles must have software version 2025.44.25 or later. The AI assistant can be activated from the vehicle’s steering wheel by setting the personality to Assistant mode.
Privacy and security features
Tesla says interactions with Grok are securely processed by xAI in accordance with their privacy notice. Conversations remain anonymous to Tesla and are not linked to individual users or their vehicles.
The AI companion is available on Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y vehicles that meet specific requirements, including an AMD processor and Premium Connectivity or Wi-Fi connection.
Vehicle owners can check if their car has an AMD processor by selecting Controls, Software, and Additional Vehicle Information from the touchscreen, or by using Tesla Assist in the Tesla app.
No subscription required
Currently, no Grok account or subscription is required to enable the AI assistant on Tesla vehicles, though Tesla notes that availability and account requirements are subject to change.
Tesla customers will be notified of the update through their Tesla app. The company says Grok may become available for additional Tesla vehicles through over-the-air software updates in future.
Grok remains in beta status and does not include voice commands for vehicle controls such as media or climate functions. Tesla’s existing voice command feature remains unchanged.
The AI assistant requires either Premium Connectivity or a stable Wi-Fi connection to function.
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