Image Credit: Tesla
Tesla’s Model Y, the world’s best selling electric car, is about to get a new 7-seater version with three rows and an extended wheelbase for more cabin space.
According to reports from China, Tesla’s Shanghai factory is weeks away from starting production of this new version, paving the way for a broader launch in the coming months.
This was first shared on X by a China-based Tesla enthusiast, Zhongwen, who references internal sources that are familiar with Tesla’s factory operations for highlighting the new version.
The new 7-seater car’s production will be a milestone for the company as previously it has produced three row cars only in the US factories.
It would also mean that various new Tesla markets could be inline to receive this model from Shanghai, including many parts of Europe, Asia and the ANZ region.
The latest comes only weeks after March sales data from China, which highlighted that Tesla Model Y was the second best-selling car in the country for that month with 84,000 sales, only after the much cheaper Wuling Mini micro car.
These sales were on the back of the first major month of the refreshed Model Y deliveries in China and is expected to be sustained in April, given the backlog of orders for the SUV.
Here in Australia, the 2025 Model Y deliveries are expected to start next month.
Last week, Tesla started offering cash discounts to existing early Model Y owners in the US to help boost sales of its new Model Y. Meanwhile locally, incentives are offered on the previous generation of the car of up to $9,000.
Given the company’s global operations, the new three row could eventually become a standardised product from the brand, attracting new buyers that’d traditionally choose another electric offering.
It’s also likely to be one of the more efficient vehicles in its class given many 7-seaters are a lot more boxy hence less aerodynamic.
The latest development is quite interesting given Tesla’s next products are expected to be the more affordable range.
We look forward to tracking these updates as these products would help broadening the appeal for EVs from a household EV brand name – Tesla.
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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.
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