Tesla Model Y Standard Range specifications and pricing revealed

The Standard Range (SR) variant of Tesla’s Model Y is now available in the US, revealing specifications and pricing for the EV maker’s entry-level electric crossover as well as the availability of the long-awaited 7-seater option.

The Tesla Model Y SR will cost US drivers $US40,490 ($A52,523 at today’s rates) plus a compulsory $US1,200 ($A1,556) delivery charge, and offer up to 392km driving range according to its US-based EPA rating.

It has a top speed of 217km/hr and can reach 100km/hr in just under 5.5 seconds (Tesla’s US website states 5.3 seconds to reach 60mph).

With the $US3,000 ($A3,890) 7-seater option selected, the price comes to $US44,690 ($A57,987 converted) including delivery.

The entry-level variant has been made available by the Tesla nearly two years after the Californian carmaker unveiled it in March 2019.

As per its sales strategy with the Model 3, it first released two top-range variants, the Long-Range and Performance Model Y, which currently cost $US48,490($A62,918 converted) and $US58,490 ($A75,893 converted) respectively.

Neither the Standard Range nor its stablemates are yet available for order in Australia.

If it is the Fremont-produced Model Y that eventually comes to Australia local pricing could be expected in the vicinity of $A64,000 before on-roads for the base model, which would sit it just above the $A59,990 Hyundai Kona EV, noting that this may not include a local $A1,375 delivery fee nor the $A150 order charge.

However, it is possible it could be the China-made Model Y which would make it to Australian shores.

While Tesla CEO and co-founder Elon Musk originally said that vehicles made at Tesla’s Shanghai electric vehicle factory would only be sold in Greater China, in September it was reported that China-made vehicles would be exported to overseas markets including Europe and the Asia Pacific including Australia and New Zealand.

China-made Model 3 vehicles have subsequently been delivered to drivers in Europe, and right-hand drive versions have been spotted in Hong Kong.

Word is that China is readying to delivery of the Model Y, which is currently only available in its Long Range and Performance variants for RMB339,300 ($A68,051 converted) and RMB369,900 ($A74,058 converted) in Shanghai in the coming months.

A Tesla sales representative in China reportedly stated on a local social media post that Model Y vehicles ordered in China today would receive delivery in May, according to China Tesla watcher @Ray4Tesla.

What this means for Australia is of course known only to Tesla itself, but it is interesting to note that in terms of pricing, the US-made Long-Range Model Y is effectively cheaper than its China-made counterpart.

In China, Tesla has sought to further lower the cost of its Standard Range Plus Model 3 by using lithium-iron phosphate batteries made by Chinese battery maker CATL. Whether it will do the same with the Model Y, which is slightly heavier than the Model 3, is uncertain.