When Tesla unveiled its updated Model S liftback and Model X SUV, most of us immediately noticed the yoke-shaped new steering wheel in the cockpit. A number of news media and Internet users expressed their concerns regarding the safety of this design.
The worries are far from idle: if the NHTSA finds the wheel design unsafe for road use, it may put a sales ban on the two cars. Having said that, the agency denied a direct answer as to whether such a ban will be enforced, arguing that there is still not enough information to draw conclusions.
On the one hand, Elon Musk’s company must have predicted this situation and therefore taken all measures to ensure a smooth launch. On the other hand, when it premiered the infamous Cybertruck, it did not expect that a number of countries in Europe would find it in violation of safety standards (which they did).
Then again, there is also a theory that the yoke wheel shots were there purely for advertisement purposes, and that the cars will ship with the regular round wheel design.