Tesla China has made a minor update to the Model Y crossover in China, introducing small but noticeable changes to the vehicle’s exterior and interior. The update includes a faster 0-100 km/h time of 5.9 seconds for the base model and black-painted Gemini Wheels, giving the vehicle a sleeker and more attractive appearance. Additionally, the interior now features ambient lighting in the form of an LED strip and a replacement of the iconic wood trim on the black interior Model Y dash. Despite these updates, the price of the base Model Y in China remains unchanged at RMB 263,900 ($36,100).
This update to the Model Y indicates that Tesla China is focused on maintaining strong sales of its best-selling electric crossover in the foreseeable future. While the design of the Model Y may have started looking a bit aged with the introduction of the Model 3 Highland, this minor update makes the vehicle more compelling. However, it is important to note that this is not the highly-anticipated “Project Juniper” update, which is expected to implement exterior and interior changes from the Model 3 Highland. Thus, the recent update can be seen as a minor refresh between the current generation Model Y and the upcoming Project Juniper.
An interesting aspect of this update is that the base Model Y now has a faster 0-100 km/h time of 5.9 seconds, surpassing the base Model 3 Highland, which has a 1-100 km/h time of 6.1 seconds. This is noteworthy considering that the Model Y is larger and heavier than the Model 3. Overall, Tesla China’s update aims to enhance the attractiveness and performance of the Model Y in the Chinese market.