Tesla officially launched the Model Y Performance in China on Friday, adding a fifth variant to the refreshed lineup as the company fights to reverse three consecutive months of year-on-year domestic sales declines.
The Model Y Performance has a starting price of 369,000 yuan ($55,000) and an estimated delivery window of two to six weeks, according to Tesla’s Chinese website.
The Performance becomes the most expensive Model Y in China, priced 30,000 yuan ($4,500) above the six-seat Model Y L — and 14,100 yuan above the 354,900-yuan ($52,900) price of the pre-facelift Performance that Tesla discontinued when the redesigned lineup launched in early 2025.
China was the last major market to receive the variant.
Tesla debuted the refreshed Model Y Performance in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in August 2025, brought it to North America in October and launched it in Canada in December.
The Shanghai-built variant first appeared in an MIIT vehicle catalog on July 10 and cleared the purchase tax exemption catalog on August 14, completing the regulatory steps needed before a market launch.
Performance Specifications
The Model Y Performance accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, reaches a top speed of 250 km/h (155.3 mph) and offers a CLTC range of 659 kilometers (409.5 miles).
Fast charging at up to 250 kilowatts can add about 250 kilometers of range in 15 minutes, according to Tesla’s listing.
Combined peak power across the front and rear motors reaches 467 kW, far above the 225 kW of the single-motor Long Range RWD.
The drivetrain uses a 78.4 kWh ternary lithium-ion battery supplied by LG Energy Solution’s China subsidiary — the same pack found in the Long Range RWD, which achieves 821 km (510.2 miles) on the CLTC cycle with a single motor.
The 162-kilometer gap between the two variants reflects the higher consumption of a dual-motor, high-output drivetrain paired with staggered 21-inch wheels and a 250 km/h top speed.
Exterior and Interior
The Performance variant carries a dedicated front bumper with larger air-intake openings, aerodynamic front and rear fascias, a carbon-fiber spoiler and standard 21-inch Arachnid 2.0 forged wheels with red brake calipers.
A five-seat layout sets the variant apart from the six-seat Model Y L.
Inside, the cabin features carbon-fiber trim and ventilated front sport seats with power-adjustable thigh supports.
Rear seats offer heating and electric power folding.
Tesla also includes a premium audio system and HEPA Bioweapon Defense Mode as standard equipment on the variant.
Chassis hardware includes continuously variable dampers, an adaptive suspension system, stability assistance and multiple performance driving modes — features that Tesla describes as purpose-built for the Performance powertrain.
Full China Lineup
The Model Y now spans five variants in China, ranging from the base Rear-Wheel Drive at 263,500 yuan ($39,300) to the Performance at 369,000 yuan ($55,000).
The Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive starts at 288,500 yuan ($43,000), the Long Range All-Wheel Drive at 313,500 yuan ($46,700) and the six-seat Model Y L at 339,000 yuan ($50,500).
All variants except the Performance carry estimated delivery times of one to three weeks.
Sales Context
The launch arrives at a difficult moment for Tesla in China.
Domestic sales fell 12.4% year-on-year in the first eight months of 2026 to 316,251 vehicles, according to China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data.
August brought 50,047 deliveries, down 12.4% from a year earlier and marking a third consecutive monthly decline.
Tesla began offering direct cash discounts on in-stock vehicles this month — a 10,000-yuan ($1,500) final-payment reduction on the Model Y and 5,000 yuan ($750) on the Model 3, valid for orders taken and delivered by September 30.
Direct cash on locally built cars has been rare over the past year.
Tesla had relied on financing, paint credits and insurance subsidies rather than vehicle-price reductions.
Domestic sales for the first two months of the third quarter total 77,296 vehicles. Matching the year-ago quarter would require about 92,000 deliveries in September — more than Tesla has ever delivered in a single month in China, where the December 2025 record stands at 93,843 units.
Giga Shanghai’s export operation has moved in the opposite direction.
The plant shipped 331,443 vehicles abroad in the first eight months, already exceeding the 226,034 units exported in all of 2025 by 46.6%.
Exports took 51.2% of Tesla China’s wholesale volume this year, against 29.9% a year earlier.
The company also faces the start of its largest recall campaigns in China later this month, with software fixes covering about 2.98 million vehicles over emergency door releases and 2.74 million China-built cars over driver monitoring, both from September 25.
The Model Y Performance adds a higher-margin variant to the Chinese lineup as Tesla works to stabilize domestic demand.
BYD, XPeng and other local automakers have intensified competition with expanding product lines and aggressive pricing across the electric SUV segment.
