Tesla confirms no Model Y refresh this year in North America, but change afoot in China

Tesla has made quite a few changes to its Model 3 sedan with the release of the refreshed car in September last year. Since then there has been speculation on the upgraded Model Y and its release date. 

Now, the electric car giant has confirmed that it is not likely this year, at least in its home market of North America, although some upgrades have already appeared in stock available for purchase in China.

In an email sent out to its stores across the country and first reported by Teslascope on X, Tesla states: “It is important that we communicate transparently that there is no refresh for Model Y launching this year”.

The email appears designed to encourage buyers of the Model Y to get their purchase now, rather than wait for an imminent upgrade, which would add many of the features seen in the recently refreshed Model 3 that customers can order and take delivery of in Australia.

Some of the key changes include:

• A quieter cabin
• Improved ride
• Ambient lighting
• Upgraded dashboard
• Rear infotainment screen
• Better camera hardware 
• Improved sound system
• Fresher exterior design with slimmer headlights
• More range

Some of these changes are already making their way to the Model Y – but for the time being, they are limited to China’s domestic market.

In recent months, Tesla has added ambient lighting to the Model Y it produces and sells in China. As of February 2024, these changes are not found in Tesla’s local Australian configurator.

Earlier this month, Tesla added upgraded hardware to the Model Y vehicles it produces in China. Tesla promoted this hardware by calling it “hardware 4.0” which includes newer cameras in vehicles to allow it to see more for future self-driving capabilities. 

Along with that, Tesla also announced that the Model Y is also set to receive a new colour in the form of Quicksilver paint.

It’s unclear whether any of these changes will make it to Australian-delivered cars in the coming months but appears unlikely given the local configurator has not been updated to highlight these upgrades.

Tesla is likely to keep these upgrades to the Chinese market for the time being as the company faces significant competition from fast-moving automakers in China.

For markets outside of China, the Model Y in its current form will continue to be sold for the foreseeable future as Tesla aims to sell over 1.2 million Model Ys in 2024, helping it hold onto the title of the best-selling car in the world.