The first few refreshed 2025 Tesla Model Y vehicles have been spotted in Australia, just weeks after the official unveiling of the new design.
A vehicle transporter truck with multiple new Model Y vehicles was spotted in Melbourne by Glynn T and shared on Tesla Owners Australia Facebook page.
On the truck were three different coloured Tesla SUVs, including Quicksilver, Black and Ultra-Red.
These vehicles also had missing aerocaps, exposing the wheels underneath the 19-inch tyres and are likely to be demonstrators given Tesla is currently only selling the launch series on its Australian configurator which comes with 20-inch Helix 2.0 wheels.
This is a big step for the brand in unveiling the new Model Y to local customers, and many more showroom demonstrator vehicles will likely arrive in the coming weeks.
Customer deliveries of the new Model Y are expected to begin in May, with some order holders reporting June as their estimated delivery date. The sales of the Model Y refresh will be keenly watched.
Some say that the main reason for the plunge in Tesla sales across the world in January was because customers are waiting for the upgraded Model Y. Others point to the consumer backlash against the political actions of CEO Elon Musk.
The new Model Y features multiple upgrades over the 2024 model, which is currently being cleared out in preparation for the refreshed car.
This includes improved range, faster acceleration, updated exterior styling with new paints, interior lighting, ventilated front seats, rear passenger controls and entertainment screen, powered second-row reclining seats, upgraded suspension, upgraded acoustic glass for a quieter ride and much more.
The pricing of the car starts at $63,400 for the single-motor RWD variant, while the dual-motor Long Range AWD variant bumps that to $73,400 before on-road costs. This is an increase of $7,500 on the RWD and $3,500 on the AWD variants of the 2024 model.
As part of the Launch Series which is the only new Model Y version available in Australia, customers with pre-orders will include a rear liftgate, puddle light, doorsill plate and more.
For dual-motor all-wheel-drive cars, an acceleration boost feature that increases the car’s acceleration is also added.
The new Model Y has seen huge demand in markets like China within a fortnight of its unveiling. Over 100,000 orders were received within this period last month as the company quickly got the car into its showrooms just ahead of the Chinese New Year break.
Local demand for the new model is still unclear as it’s still a few months away from first customer deliveries and sales but if international markets are anything to go by, it could be another year where Tesla Model Y dominates the EV landscape in the country.
Riz 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.