Grok can finally control a Tesla, and older cars get nothing
Grok can now handle climate, music, calls and multiple car commands at once. In one owner's 170-command test, it completed 116 — but Intel Atom cars still miss out.
Tesla has handed Grok control over the car — and owners of older vehicles have suddenly been left outside the party. After Summer Update 2026, the assistant can change climate settings, start music, place calls and find the right menu sections. But for Teslas with an Intel Atom processor, this new trick is still unavailable.
And the feature goes much further than many expected. One owner put Grok through a 170-command test. The result: 116 successful actions, or just over 68%. The assistant handled temperature and seat heating, wipers and mirrors, navigation, opening the glovebox, plus individual commands for Sentry Mode and the dashcam.
The real surprise comes when the driver asks for several things at once. Grok can understand a single phrase and simultaneously fold the mirrors, change the temperature and switch on the wipers. That sounds natural to a person, but it is a serious leap for in-car voice systems, which often demanded separate commands and near-perfect wording.
There are limits, of course. To control the car, Grok must be set to Assistant mode. The assistant itself requires an AMD processor, Premium Connectivity or Wi-Fi, and Tesla still labels the feature Beta. The company says compatibility may expand to more vehicles in the future, but it has not promised Intel Atom support through a standard OTA update.