Tesla will begin production of the seven-seater Model Y in November and commence deliveries to first customers in December, Elon Musk said on Wednesday (US time).
The confirmation by the Tesla CEO and co-founder is in keeping with previous announcements by Musk, as reported by The Driven in June.
The seven-seater Model Y, available for an additional $US3,000 ($A4,210 converted) in the US, will represent one of a handful of such electric vehicles available on any market at a price well below that of its seven-seater premium stablemate, the Model X.
Responding to Tesla Owners Silicon Valley on Twitter, Musk said that Tesla will be, “Starting production on 7 seater next month, initial deliveries early December.”
Starting production on 7 seater next month, initial deliveries early December
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2020
There were, however, no answers yet for Australian followers keen to hear when the Model Y will be available for order in Australia, with in the five-seater or seven-seater version.
Neither is it known how much the Model Y will cost in Australia, although recent estimates put a starting price at around $85,000 (check this calculator to see real-time estimates by state).
Nor is it known whether the version that eventually makes it to Australia will be made in the US, China or even at Tesla’s next factory in Berlin, Germany, where Tesla will begin to implement a radically different Model Y with two giant casting pieces used for the front and rear, joined by a structural battery.
Musk has previously said he thinks demand for the Model Y will be greater than that of the Model 3, Model S and Model Y combined – and given the leaps Tesla is taking to improve efficiency (such as by the addition of a heat pump) and reduce production costs (such as by pressing whole pieces of the vehicle structure rather than using many parts), this could prove to be true.
Additionally, a recent report by Teslarati suggested that even damaged Model Ys were commanding a decent price, with at least one written off (referred to as salvage title) vehicle attracting so much interest at an online auction it could be sold for more than it cost new.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.