Image: Tesla China
Tesla’s new 6-seater Model Y L, with prices starting at the equivalent of $A72,700 in the highly competitive Chinese market, has reportedly raked in nearly 40,000 orders on its first day.
The price has been pitched at around 10% above the current Model Y Long Range offered in China, but for that the new Model Y L brings with it quite a bit of an update over the standard car. Social media channels in China suggested the response has been immediate, with about 40,000 orders taken, including non-refundable deposits.
Among the new features of the longer, and longer range Model Y L is a larger screen, coming in at 16 inches instead of the 15.4-inch found on the standard Model Y. Adjustable headrests are also found in the front, allowing for more comfort for the driver and front passenger.
There are now two “captain’s chairs” in the second row with retractable armrests which can be controlled with the rear seat screen.
There is also the third row with two seats and cup holders on either side, making it quite spacious for the third row passengers.
The second and third row seats can be easily put down with buttons in the boot, allowing for over 2,500 litres of storage space.
This of course is thanks to the extended wheelbase of the car as it is 186 mm longer than a standard Model Y, bringing the total car’s length to 4,976 mm.
Outside, there is also a new Gold paint, possibly inspired by the Tesla Cybercab robotaxi that comes in as a $A2,590 option in the Chinese market. That’s the same price as the ultra-red paint offered to customers.
On the range front, it comes in with 751 km of CLTC range. That would make it close to 600 km on the WLTP cycle, still making it Tesla’s longest range SUV available in the market. It will do 0-100 km/h sprint in 4.5 seconds, making it one of the faster family SUVs in the Tesla lineup.
On the road, the new Model Y L will use continuously variable dampers found in the Model 3 Performance which was launched last year.
This will also be the first time its featured in a Model Y and is expected to soon be followed in the Model Y Performance which is likely to arrive before the end of this year.
Deliveries of the new model are expected to start in September in China with potential for this model to go to export markets in 2025.
Previous reports have suggested that this model would even be built for right-hand-drive markets such as southeast Asia, the UK and Australia. That’s yet to be confirmed but it’s likely that we will know more on the potential availability plans in Q4 of this year.
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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The ex got a Kia Carnival, and the kids in the back of that big ol' spaceship with their own chairs (when you remove middle seats and all that) make for enjoyable long trips.
Replacing my Model Y with this larger one where they can also enjoy more space (and isolation from each other), is quite compelling...