In November, Tesla launched its longest-range Model Y in China, with up to 821 km of CLTC range. That was in the form of the Model Y Long Range rear-wheel drive model.
Now, a cheaper version of the Model Y titled āLong Range Rear-Wheel Driveā has been launched in the key right-hand-drive market of the UK, with Tesla UK sharing the news on its X page.
In the post, the company said: āModel Y Rear Wheel Drive Long Range now available for the Britsā.
Starting with the price, which is about 10% above the Rear-Wheel Drive (non-premium) standard-range model, priced at Ā£44,990.
This model will come with a WLTP range of 616 km and a top speed of 201 km/h, with the rear-mounted motor delivering a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 7.2 seconds.
Other specs of the car include efficiency of 13.6 kWh/100km while sitting on 19-inch crossflow wheels.
Due to the bigger 19-inch wheels, both range and efficiency see a drop in the UK varaint over whatās available in other parts of the European market.
Last month, this model was released, delivering 657 km of WLTP range and efficiency of 12.7 kWh/100km.
The news of this car comes only a month after this modelās specs were leaked as part of the European regulatory framework, thanks to a well-known expert eivissacopter on X.
According to the leaked specs, the new model has a 74 kWh battery pack, although the chemistry is unknown. The pack itself is 31 kg lighter than the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery pack being used in current Model Ys.
In Australia, Tesla currently offers the Model Y in three variants, including Premium Rear-Wheel Drive, Premium Long Range All-Wheel Drive and the most recent addition, Performance All-Wheel Drive.
Pricing of the RWD single-motor starts at $58,900 and delivers up to 520 km of range. The Long Range AWD variant starts at $68,900 before on-road costs. Performance variant starts at $89,400 and is built in the companyās German factory for the Australian market.
The new Model Y Long Range RWD is now up for sale in UK now, but itās yet to be confirmed for other right-hand drive markets.Ā
If the Model 3ās longest range variant is anything to go by, then this could very well be on the cards for Australia in New Zealand this year.
For now, those wanting long-range can order the Model Y Premium Long Range AWD with 600 km, which is available to order, with deliveries expected within weeks of order placement.
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.