Tesla has filed what appears to be the Model Y Performance with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), based on the specifications listed in the regulator’s catalogue published on Friday.
The filed vehicle is built at Tesla‘s Shanghai plant and carries a top speed of 250 km/h, well above the 201 km/h ceiling of the four Model Y variants Tesla currently sells in China.
Combining a 176-kW front motor with a 291-kW rear motor, the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant uses a ternary lithium-ion battery pack from LG Energy Solution’s China subsidiary.
The new variant measures 4,796 mm long, 1,920 mm wide, and 1,611 mm tall on a 2,890 mm wheelbase, with a curb weight of 2,027 kg.
Additionally, it rides on 21-inch wheels, with staggered 255/35R21 front and 275/35R21 rear tires — sizing consistent with a performance-oriented setup.
Lineup and Sales Context
China’s Model Y lineup currently spans four variants: a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) base version, a Long Range rear-wheel-drive version, a Long Range all-wheel-drive version, and the six-seat Model Y L.
The base RWD trim starts at 263,500 yuan ($38,800), while the Model Y L tops the range at 339,000 yuan ($49,900).
The filing comes as Tesla works to shore up demand domestically.
The Model Y remains the company’s best-selling model in China — it delivered 38,654 units in June, accounting for 73.04% of the company’s full retail volume.
Over the first half of the year, the Model Y delivered 172,513 units in China, up just 0.60% year-on-year, while the Model 3 fell 27.72% to 66,442 units.
Tesla‘s broader China performance remains under pressure.
Second-quarter deliveries in the country fell 2.05% year-on-year, a fifth consecutive quarterly decline, and China accounted for just 26.28% of Tesla‘s global deliveries — the first time that share has dropped below 30% since the fourth quarter of 2020.
Expanding the Model Y lineup with a Performance flagship could give Tesla another lever to pull as it looks to reverse the trend.
Previous Performance Trim in China
A Model Y Performance variant isn’t new to China — it simply hasn’t been on sale there for over a year.
Before the SUV’s early 2025 facelift, the Chinese Model Y lineup included three variants: rear-wheel-drive, long-range all-wheel-drive, and an all-wheel-drive Performance version (priced at 354,900 yuan).
When Tesla rolled out the redesigned ‘Juniper’ Model Y that same month, the refreshed lineup launched with only two variants — rear-wheel-drive and long-range all-wheel-drive — leaving Performance out.
Even as Tesla later expanded the China lineup to four trims, adding a long-range RWD option and the Model Y L, the Performance trim never returned.
Other Markets
While China went without a Performance trim, Tesla revived the badge elsewhere.
An updated Model Y Performance debuted in August 2025 as the flagship of the standard-wheelbase lineup, launching first in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, before arriving in North America in October 2025.
The refreshed version shares components with the updated Model 3 Performance and brings a new front and rear bumper, a carbon-fiber rear spoiler, and aerodynamic changes that Tesla says cut drag by 10% and lift by 64%.
The trim returned to Canada in December 2025, with orders opening at roughly $53,000 USD and deliveries beginning in the first quarter.
In Australia, Tesla restructured its lineup in March, shifting Performance AWD production from Shanghai to Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg and pricing the model at AU$89,400 ($62,100) to stay under the local luxury car tax threshold.
With Performance versions now selling across Europe, North America, and Australia, China has been the notable holdout — one this filing suggests Tesla may be closing.
Model Y L in Other Markets
The six-seat Model Y L followed the opposite trajectory, launching as a China-only product before spreading globally.
Tesla introduced the long-wheelbase, three-row variant in China in August 2025, priced from 339,000 yuan.
Australia became the first export market for the Model Y L in March.
Tesla then expanded the model across Asia-Pacific through the following months, reaching Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Japan by April, along with India.
The bigger moves came in the past two weeks.
Tesla launched the Model Y L in the US and Puerto Rico on July 2, with a limited-run “Launch Series” Premium AWD trim priced at $61,990 — above the Model Y Performance and roughly $22,000 above the base RWD Model Y.
The US version uses a smaller 83-kWh battery pack compared with the 88-kWh pack in China-built units, and Launch Series buyers get a year each of Full Self-Driving (Supervised), Supercharging, and Premium Connectivity.
Full-scale US production is expected to begin at Gigafactory Texas around September.
