Tesla has launched an updated Model Y for China and one of the most significant improvements is the base car’s acceleration from a stoplight. According to the company’s website, the entry-level, single-motor version of the revised Chinese Y gets to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.9 seconds, compared with 6.9 seconds for the equivalent base version of the older-style Model Y still on sale in Europe.
The tweaks to the Model Y were announced on China’s WeChat only weeks after the updated “Highland” Model 3 was revealed, though the changes to the SUV aren’t as comprehensive. The sedan, which was launched a couple of years before the SUV and so was in more urgent need of a makeover, got a new nose, but the Model Y mostly sticks with its original style.
It has received some visual updates though, including a new design of 19-inch alloy wheels that are black, rather than silver, and have different spokes, new dashboard materials, and a configurable LED light strip in the dashboard, just like the one on the Highland Model 3. What hasn’t changed is the price. The revised Model Y starts at 263,900 yuan ($36,200), the Long Range costs 299,900 yuan ($41,000) and the range-topping Performance wears a 349,900 yuan ($48,000) sticker.
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Car News China reports that the driving range of the base model has improved from 545-554 km (339-344 miles) according to China’s optimistic CLTC test, and the Long Range can now travel 688 km (428 miles) on a charge, up from 660 km (410 miles), but the Performance does the same 554 km as before. Unlike the entry-level Model Y, the Long Range and Performance promise no improvements in acceleration versus the old versions.
Tesla hasn’t communicated anything about the revised Model Y coming to Europe or the U.S. Still, there’s no way it’s going to save the good stuff just for China, so expect the refreshed SUV to be confirmed for Western countries later this year, and available to buy during 2024.
