Earlier this year, reports from China suggested that Tesla’s Shanghai factory was going to start production of a new 7-seater version of Tesla’s Model Y in the coming months.
Then last month, a Tesla app updates guru spotted a 6-seater variant of the Model Y in the latest firmware version.
Now, latest reports out of China shared by Tslachan on X suggest that this special model has had its initial production already started, with the first 6-seater Model Y rolling off the production line at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory.
According to the latest reports, this model is going to be 150-200 mm longer in wheelbase than the current 2,890 mm.
Along with that, the rear design has been upgraded to help provide more headroom for the third-row passengers.
Given that these reports shed more light on the new 6-seater configuration, it’s likely that we will see a few photos of this in the coming weeks ahead of its imminent release in the months ahead.
There have been multiple reports on the development of the 6 or 7-seater version of the Model Y this year. Many have suggested that it will be first launched in China before any plans for it to be made available in other markets.
The most recent of these was in June when the 6-seater Model Y appeared in the Tesla app’s firmware and was spotted by Tesla app guru Greentheonly on X.
This appearance also hinted that it’s likely to be a global offering and multiple seating configurations were on the horizon for Model Y customers in the future.
If that’s to happen, it won’t be the first time that Tesla has offered 6 or 7 seat options to buyers in their vehicle lineup. Previously, Tesla offered the Model X in the local market with those configurations, but Tesla has not sold that car in Australia for almost 5 years now.
Specifically for the Model Y, Tesla has previously offered a 7-seat option which was only available to customers in the US.
In Australia, there are currently a limited number of electric models available with 7-seats, which could sway some family car buyers from considering an EV option.
This list of 6 and 7-seater EV models is expected to grow with current models like Kia EV9 starting to see competition from brands like Hyundai, Xpeng, Zeekr and potentially Tesla over the next 12 months.
This would just mean more options, especially one from Tesla, which will come with access to its solid supercharger network. This would make family road trips in the new Model Y with more seats much easier.
We will keep an eye out for updates on the new 6-seater Model Y, as this product would help bring more family SUV buyers to EVs.
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.