The base Model Y sees improved range and acceleration, while the Model Y Long Rang sees improved range.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) today launched an updated Model Y in China with unchanged pricing but minor configuration updates to increase the appeal of the hot-selling SUV.
There are three versions of the Model Y available in China — the base Model Y with rear-wheel drive, the Model Y Long Rang with dual-motor all-wheel drive, and the Model Y Performance with dual-motor all-wheel drive.
The CLTC range of the base Model Y has increased to 554 kilometers from the previous 545 kilometers, an increase of 9 kilometers, or 1.65 percent, according to Tesla China’s website.
The 0-100 kilometers per hour acceleration time for this version has been improved to 5.9 seconds from 6.9 seconds previously. Its starting price remains unchanged at RMB 263,900 ($36,140), and the wait time remains unchanged at 2-6 weeks.
The Model Y Long Rang only sees a change in CLTC range, which has increased by 28 kilometers or 4.24 percent to 688 kilometers from the previous 660 kilometers. Its starting price is RMB 299,900 and the wait time is 6-8 weeks, both unchanged.
The key information on the Model Y Performance is unchanged, with the CLTC range remaining at 615 kilometers, a starting price of RMB 349,900, and a wait time of 2-6 weeks.
Separately, Tesla said on Weibo that the Model Y adds improvements including multi-colored ambient lighting, a new dashboard trim, and new 19-inch wheels.
The Model Y is one of the best-selling SUVs in China. Deliveries of the model produced at the Shanghai plant began in January 2021.
In the January-August period, retail sales of the Model Y in China were 278,681 units, up 61.63 percent year-on-year, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) monitored by CnEVPost.
The SUV sold 152,461 units at retail in China from January to May, making it the best-selling SUV in the country during that period, according to a ranking released by the CPCA in June. That ranking has been no longer available for the past few months.
Another vehicle Tesla is producing in China is the Model 3 sedan, and a revamped version of it was unveiled and went on pre-sale on September 1, with deliveries in China set to begin in the fourth quarter.
The Model 3 had retail sales of 111,541 units in January-August, contributing 28.58 percent of Tesla’s sales in China. It sold 13,577 units at retail in China in August.
($1 = RMB 7.3015)
(Vehicle information displayed on Tesla’s China website on October 1, 2023.)
Tesla Shanghai plant produces Model Y with integrated die casting that significantly reduces costs