"This Is the Latest Product"... Tesla Owners 'Bewildered' by Left-Hand Claw Instead of Steering Wheel

Tesla Deemed Inefficient Cost-Wise
UK Offers 'Richer' Claw-Like Device, Owners Say "This Is Real"

Customers who purchased Tesla vehicles with the driver's seat on the right side, like in the UK, are receiving a 'Reacher' as an option. It is a tool used when reaching parking payment machines, receipt printers, and other devices that are out of reach.

On the 30th of last month (local time), overseas automotive media 'Carscoops' reported that Tesla is offering a grabber stick called 'The Reacher' as an option in the UK.

Tesla recently announced that it will no longer sell right-hand drive versions of the Model S and Model X in countries like the UK where the driver's seat is on the right side. In countries such as the US and China, where Tesla's production facilities are located, left-hand drive vehicles are the standard.

'Reacher' offered as an option to Tesla owners in the UK
[Image source=Twitter]

In countries where right-hand drive is standard, vehicles need to be newly assembled accordingly, but Tesla is presumed to have judged that separating production facilities would be inefficient in terms of corporate operating costs.

In fact, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated at the '2023 Investor Day' in March that the goal is to reduce future model production costs by half.

Using left-hand drive vehicles in right-hand drive standard countries like the UK and other Commonwealth nations can cause inconvenience when making payments at parking facilities, issuing receipts, or using drive-thrus. Since right-hand drive is standard in the UK, payment machines and stores are located on the right side, but if the steering wheel is on the left, it may be difficult to reach the right-side car window.

Elon Musk Tesla CEO [Image source=Yonhap News]

For this reason, Tesla appears to have provided customers with the 'Reacher.' The Reacher is a grabber-like device with a lever resembling a pistol trigger; pulling this lever moves the grabber to grasp objects.

UK Tesla owners who encountered the Reacher option reacted with disbelief. The Twitter account 'Tesla owner UK,' which collects reactions from UK Tesla owners, posted a photo of the Reacher and said, "This is the latest product for Tesla's UK market. Yes really."

Meanwhile, Tesla is reported to have prepared alternatives for UK consumers who had already ordered the existing Model S and X, such as canceling orders or offering the option to receive left-hand drive models of the vehicles they ordered.