Tesla has revealed a new-look Model Y destined for China and other Asia-Pacific markets, marking the SUV’s first major update since its 2020 launch.
The redesign comes as Tesla finished 2024 having delivered fewer vehicles than it did in 2023. It was the first year-over-year decline since the company began selling mass-market cars in 2012.
The new Model Y is expected to start deliveries from March in China and some surrounding countries. It’s not yet clear when Tesla will bring this version to Europe and the US, though it took about four months for that to happen with the updated Model 3 last year.
The changes to the new Model Y — which was internally codenamed Juniper — closely follow what Tesla made to the 2023 Model 3 sedan, while also borrowing some design cues from the company’s other projects.
The front end is less bubbly and has a sharper edge to it, like the new Model 3. The new Model Y also eschews the bug-eye headlights for a continuous light bar that runs across the front — a design seen on the Cybertruck and in the original Cybercab. Tesla also ditched the traditional taillights in favor of a single light that spans the rear of the car under a small overhang in the hatch. Tesla claims this “cross-car lamp” is “the first indirect reflective body rear light of its kind.”
Inside, the refreshed Model Y gets the same ambient lighting strip found on the new Model 3, which wraps around most of the cabin and can be changed to different colors. There are electric rear seats and a new touchscreen for rear passengers, and Tesla says the suspension has been improved and road noise has been reduced. The SUV is a few kilos lighter than its predecessor and can travel a few more miles, but it doesn’t seem to offer a radical jump in range or performance.
Overall, the new design is more in line with the look of many Chinese EVs – rivals that have inspired a price war and market share from Tesla despite record sales in the country.
Tesla has now updated all four of its EV staples—the Model Y, Model 3, Model S, and Model X—in recent years. The only truly new product since the Model Y is the Cybertruck, which is struggling to reach a mass market of buyers.
Tesla has teased the launch of a mysterious new model (or models) later this year. But while this model is expected to be cheaper than the Model 3 and Model Y, it’s not going to start at $25,000. This is an idea that CEO Elon Musk once embraced and has since abandoned.
