One of Tesla’s upcoming software updates should give the sound systems in its current and new vehicles a considerable upgrade. According to our source, Tesla has been working with major record labels for months to bring Dolby Atmos to Tesla cars. Once the software update rolls out, over 1 million Teslas that are currently on the road will support Dolby Atmos, including all newly manufactured vehicles.
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound format from Dolby that uses height channels to interpret sounds as 3D objects. Dolby Atmos debuted in 2012 in Los Angeles, and has since made its way into thousands of movie theaters, home theaters, and even cars.
Lucid Motors was the first carmaker to bring Dolby Atmos sound to its Lucid Air sedan early last year. This fall, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz revealed that they will be bringing Dolby Atmos to more cars as well. Volvo’s EX90 SUV will have Dolby Atmos, while Mercedes-Benz is adding Atmos to the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and its EQE, EQE SUV, EQS, and EQS SUV electric vehicles. Before long, Tesla should be on this list, too.
In related news, Apple Music integration appears to be in the pipeline for Tesla vehicles as well. Earlier this week, a Twitter user spotted the app on a Tesla Model S at an exhibit in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles:
It’s possible Apple Music and Apple’s Spatial Audio technology will support Dolby Atmos as well, but we weren’t able to confirm this specifically with our source.
Apple Music integration is probably coming to Tesla vehicles in the holiday update before the end of the year, but it’s unclear if Dolby Atmos support will be ready at the same time. We’ll all find out together when the update rolls out later this month or in December. We can also look ahead to Tesla working on a redesign of the Model 3.
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