Tesla's long-awaited "Juniper" refresh of the Model Y has just launched in China.
We knew the car was on its way due to numerous sightings of (mostly camouflaged) prototypes being tested on the roads globally, and there's still no word on when it's coming to the U.S. or Europe, but it's now available in most of Asia, including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea. It's also available in Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
There's no official announcement as of this writing: Neither Tesla, Tesla Asia, or CEO Elon Musk tweeted anything about the new model. But we can go through the official specs and images to give you most of the details, and that's exactly what we did.
New Tesla Model Y: What is it, and what's with the "Juniper" name?
This is the facelift Model Y, the first major refresh of Tesla's most popular electric car since it launched in 2019. The "Juniper" name was just a codename, and it's not being officially used anywhere on Tesla's website, so the new version is still simply called the Tesla Model Y.
However, Tesla is labelling the currently available Model Y as "Launch Series," and calling it a limited release. This is probably mostly about availability as the company ramps up production, but you do get certain perks if you opt for the Launch Series version; more on that below.
New Tesla Model Y: Exterior design changes
While the new Model Y isn't a complete departure from the old design – the car is still roughly the same shape and size as before – it does represent a major design overhaul. And it's a big deal, because this was at one point the world's most popular car (electric or otherwise), meaning there's a very large user base waiting to see what Tesla has done with its family hauler.
The changes include completely new, super-thin headlights, connected with a light strip at the front of the car's hood. On the back, it's essentially the new Model 3 tail lights tied together with a red light bar. The front bumper has also been updated with new air vents, and that pretty much concludes the major design changes. Look carefully, and you'll see new details such as turn lights on the side mirrors, and a front camera in the bumper, but from afar, it's still the same car, only a little angrier looking.
The similarities with Tesla's Cybertruck and Cybercab, which also sport the light bar headlights, should be noted. Will this thing become known as Baby Cybertruck? Hopefully not, but we cannot guarantee it.
As for wheels, they differ depending on the region. In China, for example, buyers can choose between the 19-inch, black, "Interactive Storm" wheels (I've used machine translation from Chinese, so take these names with a grain of salt), or the 20-inch, silver, "Spiral Storm" wheels. In Australia, however, there's only one choice: The 20-inch "Helix 2.0" wheels, which appear to be the same as the "Spiral Storm" variant in China.
New Tesla Model Y: Colors
Five colors are on offer. In Australia, the choice is between Pearl White Multi-Coat, Glacier Blue (new), Stealth Grey, Quicksilver, and Ultra Red. In China, the choices appear to be the same with slightly different names.
Glacier Blue is an entirely new color, replacing the previous Deep Blue Metallic. It's a nice, softer, lighter blue, though it appears to be the sort of color that you really need to see in person to figure out the exact shade.
Interesting note: In Australia, all of the colors are included with the car's price. In China, you have to pay up to 12,000 yuan ($1,636) for anything besides the "Starry Grey."
New Tesla Model Y: Interior
Interior color choices are simple: All Black, or Black and White. As for seating, you only get one option, and that's the five seat variant. The new Model Y is expected to be available with seven or perhaps even six seats in the future, but alas, it just hasn't happened yet.
Inside, there's no radical change, either: You still get the standard, fully round steering wheel (no yoke wheel here), a large, centrally placed landscape display and...little else to look at.
However, there are a significant number of new details here if you look closely. These include the ambient light strips, an additional display in the back, and the absence of the gear-shifting stalk behind the steering wheel, though the indicator stalk appears to still be present.
Tesla also says the cabin should be quieter than before thanks to new acoustic glass. Seats are now ventilated, and the rear seats are electric and can be reclined with a press of a button.
New Tesla Model Y: Trims, range, acceleration
Only two trims are on offer, and that's the Rear-Wheel Drive and the Long Range All-Wheel Drive. The Performance version is absent.
With the Rear-Wheel Drive, you get a 466km range (WLTP estimate in Australia), a 201 km/h top speed, and a 5.9 second 0-100km/h time. The price starts at 63,400 AUD ($39,275).
Bump up to the Long Range All-Wheel Drive, and you get an additional motor and all-wheel drive. You also get 551km of range (again, WLTP estimate in Australia), 201 km/h top speed, and a 4.3 second 0-100 km/h acceleration.
The range figure is a modest improvement (in Australia, previous range figures were 455 km for the Rear-Wheel Drive model, and 533 km for the Long Range model).
Acceleration is better, too: 1.0 seconds quicker from 0-100 km/h for the RWD variant, and 0.7 seconds quicker for the LRAWD version. But there's a caveat: the Launch Series Model Y is fitted with the typically optional Acceleration Boost software upgrade, so expect that to be gone when Launch Series cars sell out.
As for the batteries inside, Tesla doesn't share specs, but it's probable that the batteries are the same as before, and that the range improvements are due to various efficiency optimizations.
New Tesla Model Y: Specs and details
Similar to what we saw with the Model 3 Highland upgrade in Sept. 2023, there's a long list of minor improvements in the Model Y Juniper. Here's a list:
Updated suspension, wheels, and tires - should provide a smoother and quieter ride. In numbers, that's 22% less road noise, 20% less suspension impact noise, and 20% less wind noise.
Front bumper camera -- should improve parking as well as driver assistance features, including Autopilot and Full Self-Drive driving.
15.4-inch touchscreen -- a small increase from the previous, 15-inch touchscreen
8-inch touchsreen in the back
Improved range for Phone Key
faster cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as better call quality
acoustic glass, contributing to the aforementioned noise reductions
Furthermore, exclusive to the Launch Series, in Australia you get:
Rear liftgate badge with a new logo that implies speed
Puddle light badge
Doorsill plate watermark saying "Launch Series"
Charging console watermark saying "Launch Series"
Vegan Suede interior materials if you choose the All Black interior
New Tesla Model Y: Pricing and launch date
The launch date varies by region. In China, for example, Tesla says deliveries will begin in March. In Australia, however, deliveries are expected to begin in May.
As for the pricing, the new version is more expensive than before. For example, the starting drive away price for the old Model Y was 60,872 AUD ($37,693). Now, the starting drive away price is 68,770 AUD ($42,596). That's roughly a 12 percent increase — a significant change and a good reason to consider the old Model Y, which is still available but will likely go away when Tesla's inventory is depleted. Prices vary by market, so the pricing difference might be different depending on your region. Also, when the Launch Series limited edition is sold out, the prices of the regular Model Y might turn out to be different.
New Tesla Model Y: When will it arrive in the U.S. and Europe?
There's no official word on this. Judging by the launch dates (two months from now at the earliest, and four months from now in some regions), Tesla likely doesn't have enough inventory to start globally selling the new MY en masse. Tesla does not have official press comms, so we can't get any direct answers, but our best guess is that the car might become available in other regions in a few months.
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