After months of expectation and speculation, the signing of Elon Musk just announced the launch of new Tesla Model Y. This includes a new design, with Cybertruck airs, technical improvements, such as the use of artificial intelligence and a turn signal lever (yes yes), and greater autonomy. Will it be enough to return it to the position of best-selling car in the world by 2025?
The renewed Tesla Model Y electric SUV, known as Juniper, was unveiled this morning in China before its launch in the United States and Europe. From the outset, the new model will be more expensive. In China and Australia, where prices are already known, it will be between 2,500 and 4,000 euros depending on the versions. more expensive than the outgoing Model Y.
First China, then the US and Europe
The American brand has just made official the launch of its electric SUV in China and in different markets in Asia and Oceania, such as Australia. Since the model is manufactured in Shanghai, Tesla is prioritizing China, its first market for the Model Y.
In 2023, the SUV was the best-selling in China, while this year it bowed out against the BYD Qin Plus sedan, a PHEV plug-in hybrid compact sedan. For Tesla, as for German premium brands, China has priority. The United States and Europe take a backseat.
The new Tesla Model Y adopts a front with a slim LED daytime running light unit reminiscent of the Cybertruck. These headlights sit atop a new front bumper. These changes to the nose improve the drag coefficient of the new Tesla Model Y up to 0.22 Cd. The outgoing model offers a figure of 0.23 Cd. Lower drag means greater range on the road.
The rear also features new rear lights with a light strip that runs from one end to the other and features an integrated ducktail spoiler. Despite the front that gives it a stronger personality, the new Tesla Model Y maintains its silhouette.
Other features of the car’s exterior include a new wheel design (19 and 20 inches), flush door handles and new blue paint. The new Model Y is 47 mm longer and 1 mm thinner. This takes the car to the 4,797 mm long1,920 mm wide and 1,624 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,890 mm.
The interior of the Model Y, for its part, has undergone the same transformations as the new Model 3 “Highland”. Or almost. The interior remains minimalist, with a 15-inch central touch screen powered by an AMD Ryzen processor that integrates relevant information about the car’s speed, gear engaged, ADAS driving aids, etc.
There are no buttons in the center tunnel. Instead, it has a wireless charging pad and hidden compartments. There is a new screen on the back to control the air conditioning and communications (social networks, video games, streaming).
But the most striking thing, curiously, is the presence of a turn signal lever, like the one that all cars around the world have had for several decades and the previous Model Y. Unlike the new Model 3, it does not have haptic turn signals located both on the left arm of the steering wheel and which sometimes make them impossible to use. Proof that it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel with each new model.
It is worth mentioning that the new Model Y adopts the latest autonomous driving hardware with Tesla AI4 artificial intelligence to manage, among others, the “Autopilot FSD (Supervised)”.
Additionally, the new Model Y has improved seats, according to Tesla. The rear seat cushion has been lengthened by 15 mm and the headrests have been widened by 17 mm. The new Model Y also offers a silver-coated sunroof and 16 speakers. The acoustics have also been improved thanks to a special glass that reduces outside noise, Tesla says.
Tesla Model Y 2025: faster and with more autonomy
On a mechanical level, the Tesla Model Y improves on several fronts. The access model to the range, the Rear-wheel driveis equipped with an electric motor 295 CVwhich gives you a 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds (6.9 s in the Model Y 2024), associated with a 62.5 kWh LFP-type battery of CATL origin. This provides a estimated range of 466 kmaccording to the WLTP cycle, compared to 455 km for the current model.
The Model Y Long Range with dual motor and all-wheel drive has a power of 444 HP and an LG brand NMC type lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 78.4 kWh, which provides a autonomy of 551 km on the WLTP cycle (533 km in the current Model Y).
In this variant, the Model Y can accelerate 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 secondscompared to the previous 5 seconds. For those who are going to travel through Germany, know that the maximum speed, on the other hand, is lower in the new SUV than that of the current model, as it is 201 km/h compared to 217 km/h.
The first deliveries of the renewed Tesla Model Y are scheduled for March 2025 in China and Australia. In Europe, we have to wait.
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Source: www.motorpasion.com
