Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
Less than a week after unveiling its refreshed Model Y, Tesla began shipping the first units from its Giga Shanghai factory to showrooms across China on Wednesday.
Images shared on Chinese social media showed several gray Model Ys being transported on highways. The updated version of the world’s best selling model will initially launch in China, with deliveries of the five-seater variant scheduled to begin in March.
Tesla plans to expand deliveries to European markets starting in the second quarter, according to the company’s expected delivery time for the Model Y model in Europe.
Despite Tesla not providing any official order figures, Chinese media reported that the company received 50,000 pre-orders for the refreshed Model Y on the first day of sales.
In the Philippines, Tesla announced it will automatically upgrade existing Model Y orders to the new version. However, the company has yet to confirm if similar policies will apply in other markets.
The starting price for the refreshed Model Y is 263,500 yuan ($35,900), a 5.4% increase over its predecessor, according to Tesla’s China website. The updated model offers a 3% improvement in range, achieving 719 km under the CLTC standard for the Long-range variant.
Tesla also introduced a limited “Launch Series” version of the Model Y, featuring a rear lift gate badge, puddle light badge, doorsill plate wordmark, charging console wordmark, and a vegan suede black interior. The All-Wheel Drive variant of the Launch Series is equipped with an Acceleration Boost feature.
Tesla China’s sales increased by 18.9% in December, rising from 78,856 vehicles in November to 93,766 vehicles, according to China’s Passenger Car Association.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
