Why Tesla's Frunk Still Doesn't Have
Soft Close From the Factory
And what that tells you about how Tesla makes decisions, where the aftermarket opportunity exists, and what it actually costs to close that gap yourself.
Tesla builds some of the most technically sophisticated consumer vehicles ever produced. The frunk — a lockable, weatherproof storage compartment in a position most cars reserve for an engine — is itself a byproduct of that sophistication. So why does it close with a manual push and a dull thud, the same way a 1990s hatchback does?
The answer is not that Tesla doesn't know soft-close mechanisms exist. BMW, Mercedes, and Audi have offered soft-close doors and trunks for years. The answer is that Tesla made a deliberate calculation — and understanding that calculation explains exactly where the aftermarket soft close solution fits, why it exists, and why it costs what it costs.
Tesla's Calculation
Four Reasons the Factory Frunk Closes the Way It Does
Cost at Scale Makes Soft-Close Prohibitive
A soft-close mechanism adds roughly $80–$150 in component cost per vehicle at automotive production volumes — before labor, integration testing, and warranty cost modelling. Tesla builds hundreds of thousands of vehicles per year. Across the Model 3 and Model Y combined, adding factory soft close to the frunk would represent hundreds of millions of dollars in added cost annually. That cost would either reduce margin or increase the vehicle price — neither outcome aligns with Tesla's mass-market positioning strategy.
Tesla Prioritises Software-Defined Features Over Hardware Refinements
Tesla's product development resources are concentrated on powertrain, software, autonomy, and manufacturing efficiency. Hardware refinements that affect daily tactile experience — door close quality, frunk sealing, interior material feel — are consistently deprioritized relative to range, charging speed, and software capability. This is a deliberate product philosophy, not an oversight. The car's competitive advantages are not in its hardware finish quality.
The Frunk Is a Bonus Feature, Not a Selling Point
The frunk exists because the electric drivetrain leaves the front of the car empty — it is a benefit of the architecture, not a feature Tesla actively markets. Without needing to sell the frunk as a headline feature, there is no marketing imperative to invest in making it operate at the same standard as a dedicated luxury cargo system. It works. It closes. For most buyers at the point of purchase, that's sufficient.
After-Sale Accessories Are a Known Revenue Layer
Automotive manufacturers, including Tesla, understand that leaving specific features at an adequate rather than premium level creates a market for aftermarket upgrades. This isn't cynicism — it's the structure of how automotive accessories markets have always worked. The gap between "adequate from the factory" and "excellent after a $135 upgrade" is where companies like Grundig Auto operate.
The Luxury Comparison
Why BMW and Mercedes Include It — and What It Actually Costs Them
Factory soft close as standard or option
Luxury manufacturers include soft-close doors and trunks because tactile refinement is central to their value proposition. The cost is absorbed into a vehicle price point where an extra $100–$150 per closing mechanism represents a fraction of a percent of the purchase price — and it directly supports the brand's core claim of premium quality in every interaction.
Factory adequate, aftermarket fills the gap
Tesla's value proposition is built on performance, range, software, and total cost of ownership — not on the refinement of individual physical interactions. At Tesla's price and volume combination, the same $100–$150 per vehicle carries very different strategic weight. The gap it leaves is exactly the space the Grundig aftermarket upgrade fills.
What This Means for You
The Gap Is Real, Consistent, and Addressable
Understanding why Tesla doesn't include soft close from the factory clarifies something important: this is not a design oversight that will be corrected in a future update. It is a cost and prioritization decision that Tesla has made consistently across multiple Model 3 and Model Y refresh cycles. The Highland refresh did not add soft close to the frunk. The next refresh is not expected to either.
That means the gap is permanent for the current generation of owners — and the frunk control upgrades available in the aftermarket are the only path to closing it. The Grundig solution closes it completely: the magnetic mechanism, the PA66-GF30 housing, the three trigger methods, the 15-minute installation. For $135, you get what Tesla decided not to provide — not as a workaround, but as a purpose-engineered component that fits the vehicle correctly.
Grundig Power Frunk
Soft Close Lock
The aftermarket solution for the factory gap Tesla chose not to close. Magnetic auto-seal from 5mm. PA66-GF30 housing, <50 dB operation, 3 trigger methods. Plug-in install, no drilling. Fits Model 3 / Y / X / S.
$135 $159
Shop Now →The Bottom Line
Tesla Made a Rational Decision. So Can You.
Tesla chose not to include soft close in the frunk because the cost-benefit calculation at their production scale and price positioning didn't support it. That's a rational decision for Tesla to make. It's also a rational decision for an individual owner to reverse — at $135, the same cost calculation runs differently. You're not paying for a full production run. You're paying for one vehicle, one upgrade, one daily interaction that you repeat hundreds of times a year.
The factory gap exists because of how Tesla builds cars. The aftermarket solution exists because of how individual owners use them. Both facts are true, and the Tesla-specific upgrade range at Grundig Auto is built around exactly this principle: filling the spaces between Tesla's engineering priorities and the actual daily experience of owning the car. The frunk soft close is the clearest example of that gap — and the most straightforward one to close.
Close the gap Tesla left open $135 · Free shipping · 15–20 min install · All Tesla models
Shop Soft Close Lock →