Tesla updates Model S/X with new swivel screen for better in-car viewing experience

Tesla has updated the Model S and Model X with a new motorized swivel function for the center screen. The feature enables a better viewing experience in the car as the automaker is betting on more in-car entertainment.

Over the last few years, Tesla has been putting a lot of efforts into entertainment inside its vehicles. From Tesla Theater for streaming services to video games, there have been a lot of software updates to bring new features to entertain inside its electric vehicles.

The automaker is even doing some hardware design around entertainment. That has become evident with the refreshed Model S and Model X. Tesla’s two flagship vehicles got a new large horizontal center display that is better suited for watching videos and a new backseat display powered by a gaming computer.

Now Tesla has made the center display in the Model S and Model X even more entertainment friendly by adding a swivel capability:

The powered front trunk is an aftermarket modification made by the person making the video, Larry Li, and not something that is standard in Tesla vehicles, but the motorized swivel screen is brand new.

It’s not clear when Tesla made the change to the Model S and Model X, but Li mentioned that the vehicle was produced during the last week of April. It would be fair to assume that Model S and Model X vehicles produced since then are equipped with this new version of the center display.

As you can see, the swivel gives enough of an angle to either make the screen face more toward the driver or full-on face the front passenger.

The change enables a better driver-focused experience, but the degree to which it can swivel to the right also makes it perfect for the front passenger to use the screen.

Tesla currently doesn’t enable video playback on the center display when the vehicle is not in park, but that’s expected to change in the future as Tesla achieves a higher level of autonomous driving.