Teslaās best-seller and worldās best-selling car of any fuel type, the Tesla Model Y, is about to get a major refresh in the coming months.
News from China suggests that test production of this upcoming refreshed Model Y began this week at Teslaās Shanghai factory, where almost one in every two EVs on our road was built last year which has delivered more than 30,000 Teslas to Australia in 2024 alone.
The initial test production run will be small, with about 12 units being produced every day for quality and road testing.Ā
According to the source, the initial production will be on a separate part of the factory where employees and clothes involved will not be allowed to take their mobile phones in case of any leaks of the upcoming car.
$TSLA šØš³
According to the news, Giga Shanghai will start producing the closed-loop of the new Model Y next week. Initial production won't be too much. pic.twitter.com/VLTW4Lab9e— Tsla Chan (@Tslachan) October 19, 2024
Originally, there were rumours of the car being delivered to customers in 2024 but earlier this year an internal memo at Tesla highlighted that there would be no Model Y refresh coming during 2024.
It was further verified by Teslaās CEO, Elon Musk on X in June: āNo Model Y ārefreshā is coming out this year.ā
No Model Y ārefreshā is coming out this year.
I should note that Tesla continuously improves its cars, so even a car that is 6 months newer will be a little better.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2024
This method of producing small batches was also seen with the Tesla Model 3 refresh months prior to the official unveiling in September 2023.Ā
In recent months, multiple sightings of the Model Y being tested in the US have been spied, showing key changes to the exterior and giving an inside look.
One of the key differences spotted on the outside was the inclusion of the extended tail light that appears to run parallel above the Tesla badge on the boot lid.Ā
Moving on to the inside, there was alsoĀ LED ambient lighting present which can be seen on the door panels. There are also ventilation perforations, allowing for heated and ventilated seats in the car.
Both of these are similar to those seen on the refreshed Model 3 sedan, which is available to local buyers today.
Speaking ot the Model 3 refresh, the key improvements over the previous car were significant and are expected to be on the new Model Y as well:
- A quieter cabin
- Improved ride
- Ambient lighting
- Upgraded dashboard
- Rear infotainment screen
- Better camera hardwareĀ
- Improved sound system
- Fresher exterior design with slimmer headlights
- More range
Given what we know, the official release of the highly anticipated Model Y refresh is likely to be in early 2025.
Between this initial production and then, weāre likely to get plenty more spy shots and production updates of the new car in the coming months so stay tuned.
RizĀ is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.