Tesla Model Y generates huge interest in Australia as wait times already pushed back

Some people simply could not wait. “I got a text message from Tesla as I was holding the baby, saying that the Model Y was now available for order,” one father of a new born baby told The Driven on the weekend. “It was a bit tricky but I managed to get our order in (for a white RWD) without ptting the baby down.”

True story: Thousands of people will get to see, touch and sit in the Tesla Model Y this long weekend, after the Model 3’s sibling SUV was finally made available for order and put on show in Tesla showrooms across Australia on Friday.

See Bridie’s story here: Tesla Model Y first impressions: More space, higher ride, bigger clearance

But even before the June long weekend hit, it would appear that hundreds, if not thousands, of people had already jumped online – like the dad of the new born – and ordered the long-awaited electric crossover before even getting a chance to see it.

Those that could, headed to showrooms as was evident at Tesla’s Brisbane showroom (see above) where numerous people were already pulling up to check out Tesla’s latest offering. Test drives for the public are expected to begin from June 21.

Tesla opened the Tesla Model Y order page on Friday at 10:15am. Just two variants are available: the RWD and the Performance, with 455km and 514km WLTP driving range respectively. There was no Long Range in sight, and it is not known when it will be added to the Australian menu although it has been certified for sale locally.

Incredibly, it priced the electric crossover at just $2,900 more than it did the $66,000 Tesla Model 3 when it was launched in 2019. That, however, puts it out of reach of rebates offered in most states.

Thousands of Model Y orders within hours

By the early afternoon, wait times had already jumped from “Aug-Nov 2022” for the RWD variant and “Late 2022” for the Performance, to “Nov – Feb 2022” for both.

In effect, this means that the first three month’s worth of allocation Tesla planned for the Model Y in Australia was taken up within hours. It’s impossible to know how many orders this equates to, but based on the shipping history of the Tesla Model 3 (courtesy of @Vedaprime on Twitter) it is likely to add up to thousands of orders.

And that’s being conservative. If Tesla were to charter a whole ship to fill existing Model 3 orders (for which wait times are already into 2023) as well as new Model Y orders, Vedaprime thinks it’s not unlikely that there could 2,500 Tesla electric cars coming in on each ship.

With up to 14 ships carrying Tesla cars entering Australia in 2021 at the height of Model 3 deliveries before the semiconductor shortage and Covid-19 pandemic throttled production and shipping, we could be talking more than 10,000 orders.

But who’s counting? (Well, we are).

One thing is certain – there are drivers out there happy to bide their time for the Long Range as well, and the fact that the Model Y does not qualify for any state EV rebates whatsoever underlines the huge appetite for Tesla’s next model.

What will it mean, however, with those that have an order for the Model 3, or those waiting patiently for an Ioniq 5 or an EV6. Might have Hyundai and Kia – and others such as Polestar 2 and Volvo – missed an opportunity?