Production of the entry-level Tesla Model 3 is still ramping up, however, the electric automaker has already set in motion a plan to begin building the Model Y in November of 2019, Reuters claims.
The publication claims to have received word from two unnamed sources about Tesla’s plans. These sources assert that Elon Musk is accepting preliminary bids for supplier contracts on the Model Y. These suppliers have been given very few details about the program and the production time frame.
Traditionally, automakers look for parts suppliers roughly two to two-and-a-half years before production of a new model commences, but Tesla is doing the same just 18 months before its planned launch. Tesla initially intended on building the Model Y on an entirely bespoke platform but has since made the decision to use the same underpinnings as with the Model 3.
The Tesla Model Y could become Tesla’s best-selling model
Like the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and next-gen Roadster, the Tesla Model Y will be produced at the company’s Fremont plant in California. In late 2021, Tesla intends on also building the Model Y in China.
Tesla also has bold plans for introducing an all-new electrical system in the Model Y. Last year, Musk revealed that the Model 3 uses approximately 5,000 feet (1,524 m) of wiring and that the Model Y small crossover will slash that number to just 328 feet (100 m). This reduction in wiring will be made possible through new electric systems that utilize different voltage and power transmission hardware.
Given the demand for crossovers, it is entirely possible that the Tesla Model Y will quickly assert itself as the automaker’s best-selling model.