Tesla Mannequin Y ‘Juniper’ Refresh: This Is It

• Tesla lastly unveiled the long-awaited, up to date model of its Mannequin Y crossover. 
• The brand new mannequin appeared on Tesla’s China web site on Thursday. 
• The redesigned model of Tesla’s greatest vendor arrives simply after its first annual gross sales droop in over a decade. 

A refreshed Tesla Mannequin Y crossover appeared on the automaker’s China web site on Thursday, giving the world its first take a look at the long-awaited, up to date model of Tesla’s best-selling automobile. 

The redesigned crossover arrives at a time when Tesla critically wants a win. Its international deliveries sank in 2024—from 1.81 million models to 1.79 million—marking the automaker’s first annual drop in gross sales in over a decade. The up to date crossover might assist reignite gross sales in 2025 and past. Deliveries ought to start in China in March, based on Tesla’s web site. 

The Tesla Mannequin Y refresh.

Photograph by: Tesla

The up to date mannequin encompasses a new nostril with an angular gentle bar paying homage to Tesla’s Cybertruck pickup and the Cybercab robotaxi unveiled late final 12 months. It additionally has a beefy gentle bar operating throughout its rear. In any other case, the outside styling is basically similar to the present Mannequin Y. Just like the Mannequin 3 “Highland” refresh that launched in late 2023, the aspect profile of the up to date Mannequin Y appears to be like just like the outgoing mannequin.

The refreshed crossover additionally will get an enormous inside makeover that brings it in keeping with the recently-updated Mannequin 3 sedan. That features an ambient lighting strip operating all through the cabin, a display for rear passengers and a stalk-less steering wheel. That is proper, of us—you will not discover typical flip alerts or a gear shifter right here. 

The Tesla Mannequin Y’s up to date inside.

Photograph by: Tesla

On Tesla’s China web site, it says the brand new Mannequin Y has been tuned for higher effectivity and will get an up to date suspension that produces a smoother trip. The latter might clear up one of many greatest complaints house owners have in regards to the Mannequin Y: its overly stiff suspension and bumpy trip high quality.

The Lengthy-Vary All-Wheel Drive variant earns a 719-kilometer (446 mile) vary estimate based on China’s testing process, which is extra beneficiant than the EPA figures we’re accustomed to within the U.S. Tesla quotes a 0-62 mph dash of 4.2 seconds. 

The Tesla Mannequin Y refresh at a Supercharger station.

Photograph by: Tesla

Whereas most automakers give their vehicles visible tweaks each few years and full overhauls periodically, Tesla hasn’t modified up the look of the Mannequin Y because it went on sale in 2020. Auto business analysts say that call—and extra broadly, Tesla’s restricted, stale lineup of vehicles—has dragged down demand for Teslas as competitors within the EV house has intensified. 

The Mannequin Y is now the best-selling electrical automobile on the earth—and, moreover, the very best promoting automobile of any powertrain. That is nice for Tesla. Nevertheless it additionally means EV patrons could also be clamoring for one thing new and completely different. 

The Tesla Mannequin Y refresh encompasses a thick gentle bar throughout its rear hatch.

Photograph by: Tesla

China is one among Tesla’s most vital markets and is by far the biggest marketplace for electrical automobiles, which helps clarify why the brand new mannequin is happening sale there first. Plus, Tesla is dealing with stiff competitors within the nation from homegrown EV makers like BYD and Geely. 

There is not any phrase but as to when the brand new mannequin will go on sale outdoors of China, or how the small print of the U.S.-bound mannequin might differ from the Chinese language-market one.