Automotive

Tesla reveals Model Y crossover SUV

Tesla reveals Model Y crossover SUV
The Long Range Model Y should offer 300 mi (482 km) of usable range
The Long Range Model Y should offer 300 mi (482 km) of usable range
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Tesla unveiled its Model Y crossover in March of 2019
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Tesla unveiled its Model Y crossover in March of 2019
The Long Range Model Y should offer 300 mi (482 km) of usable range
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The Long Range Model Y should offer 300 mi (482 km) of usable range
The Performance version of the Model Y should offer a top speed of 150 mph
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The Performance version of the Model Y should offer a top speed of 150 mph
The Tesla Model Y on stage in LA
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The Tesla Model Y on stage in LA
Elon Musk presents Tesla's model Y crossover SUV
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Elon Musk presents Tesla's model Y crossover SUV
Specs of the Model Y variants at launch (though the price has been tweaked since)
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Specs of the Model Y variants at launch (though the price has been tweaked since)
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Tesla finally launched its crossover SUV today, with CEO Elon Musk taking to the stage at an event in LA to show off the company's fifth all-electric car. The shiny new Tesla Model Y shares plenty of DNA with the company's Model 3 sedan, albeit with a little less range, a little more space and a slightly higher price tag.

Musk confirmed the launch of the Model Y earlier in March, stating the compact SUV would be built on the same chassis as its mass-market Model 3. It would, however, be about 10 percent larger and therefore despite having the same battery, offer slightly less range. And this all appears to have been more or less on the money.

Musk started today's presentation by bringing the audience up to speed on the company's history, beginning with the Model S, which he says was built to "compete with the very best gasoline cars" as "proof that you can go electric."

He then wheeled out the Model X and the Model 3 behind it, with a few musings about the company's manufacturing troubles and a few too many S3XY-inspired gags strewn throughout. You'd be forgiven for thinking he'd come directly from an appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, but perhaps he was just excited about the whole launching a new car thing.

The Tesla Model Y on stage in LA
The Tesla Model Y on stage in LA

The Model Y was then finally wheeled out to join the Teslas on stage, and the rundown was relatively quick compared to the drawn out stroll down memory lane that preceded it. The Long Range Model Y should offer 300 mile (482 km) of usable range, Musk said, along with a 0-60 mph time of 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h). Four variants will be available in all, with the key specs as follows:

Specs of the Model Y variants at launch (though the price has been tweaked since)
Specs of the Model Y variants at launch (though the price has been tweaked since)

Other features include an optional seven-seat configuration, the glass panoramic roof featured in the Model 3, and a 66 cubic-ft of cargo space. As you'd expect, it will also come with Tesla's Autopilot software, which Musk says should be fully feature-complete before year's end by way of software updates. He also didn't seem too concerned about demand for the car, and perhaps justifiably so considering the recent uptick in crossover sales in the US market.

"I think it will be the mid-sized SUV that you will want," said Musk. "I think we'll probably do more Ys than S, X and 3s combined."

Product page: Tesla Model Y

View gallery - 6 images
7 comments
7 comments
JimFox
Does not look "different" enough.
Rustin Lee Haase
I like what it looks like but isn't Tesla Motors shooting itself in the foot by offering a wide range of products before getting any one product down in cost to the point where everyone can buy one? There are no affordable Teslas and so their mission is a fail until there is one. (unless their mission is merely to make money and not "save the planet" like they say they are trying to do)
Leonard Foster Jr
The pickup truck is what's needed not this.
Mark K.
A taller/longer roofline in the back would have differentiated this vehicle from the 3 the X and S that came before it without deviating from the design language too much.
Something like the shooting brake below but with a larger rear quarter panel window.
https://newatlas.com/remetzcar-model-s-shooting-brake/54813/
Smokey_Bear
It looks ok, all of Tesla's vehicles look very similar.
Daishi
I'm not surprised by the design. I think some people may have been expecting something similar to the RAV4, CX-5, and CR-V style maybe with a boxier design? Tesla tends to stick with aerodynamic shapes. Crossovers outsell sedans so a crossover version of the 3 makes sense. People complained that the X should be simpler and cheaper and that's what the Y is. For once they kept it simple and that's OK. We'll probably see boxy SUV's after battery prices come down more as electrics become more mainstream.
Andrew Goetsch
Been a fan of Musk and his ventures for a long time, but that ugly little hatchback isn't going to impress anybody. It's not an SUV by any defintion.