Cheaper Tesla Model Y Expected to Debut Oct. 7
Key Points:
- Tesla recently released two videos on the social platform X, teasing what is expected to be a stripped-down version of the Model Y SUV.
- The affordable Model Y variant is expected to be without an LED light bar, rear-seat infotainment screen, panoramic moonroof and ambient lighting.
Tesla has been making noise about a more affordable model for a while now. Rumors began their most recent flare-up almost a year ago, with one Tesla executive reportedly saying the vehicle would launch in the first half of 2025.
As we enter the final quarter of the year, a pair of teaser videos Tesla posted on the social platform X have followers of the brand expecting the new model to be announced Tuesday. Rather than the entirely new vehicle some have expected, the cheaper Tesla will instead be a stripped-down Model Y, as confirmed by Elon Musk over the summer.
One of the videos posted on X simply shows a pair of headlights, notably missing the signature LED light bar featured on the newly redesigned SUV; the other shows a wheel or fan spinning. The cheaper Model Y is also expected to lose its rear-seat infotainment screen, panoramic moonroof and ambient lighting in the effort to drive costs down.
It’s not yet known whether the entry-level variant will lose any range relative to other Model Ys, and if so, if that will be due to a physically smaller pack or if the company will simply limit battery capacity through software, as it has done in the past to create lower-priced models.
That effort was not Tesla’s only failed campaign to reconfigure existing products for lower sticker prices. The brand’s rear-motor Cybertruck only lasted about five months before getting pulled, as its aggressive decontenting likely turned off many buyers. Of course, appeal is largely the product of features and price, the latter of which is also still unknown for the new Model Y variant. The cheapest version currently starts at $46,380 (price includes $1,390 destination charge); we’ll know Tuesday what Tesla had to leave out and how low it managed to get the price for the soon-to-be-most-affordable model in its lineup. Stay tuned.
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