Tesla unveiled its highly anticipated Model Y small SUV tonight at an event at the company’s design studio in Hawthorne, California.
Musk explained the Model Y will have the same safety rating of the Model 3, which has been tested by the U.S. government as one of the safest cars on the road, and this newest SUV will be the “safest mid-size SUV in the world.” The CEO reiterated “safety is the number one goal of Tesla,” not just performance.
The Model Y will have “great handling” and has a 0.23 drag coefficient and will top out at a 300 mile range, or 482 kilometres. Performance will see it go from 0 to 60 miles (or 0-100km) in 3.5 seconds for the most expensive model.
The new SUV will have a panoramic glass roof, seat five people with an optional 7 seat configuration, plus have 66 cubic feet of cargo space (or 1.9 cubic metres).
Musk says Autopilot will be “feature complete” by the end of 2019, along with self-driving features as well—all delivered through software upgrades.
The Tesla CEO says “of any mid-size SUV” the Model Y will “be the one you want,” adding he predicts they will sell more Model Y units than the Model S and Model 3 combined.
The Model Y will come in four configurations, with Long Range, Dual Motor AWD and Performance coming in the fall of 2020, while the Standard Range in Spring of 2021, starting at $39,000 USD, or about $51,914 Canadian. Who knows what this final price will be in 2021, however, as things can change a couple of years from now.
Currently, Tesla’s Canadian website has the Model Y Long Range (RWD) starting at $64,000 CAD before incentives and savings.
Here’s a breakdown of each configuration below from the Model Y unveil (in USD pricing):
Tesla’s Canadian pricing has gone live on their website with the Long Range starting at $64,000 CAD before savings and incentives.
Canadians can place their orders for a Model Y starting today, with a $3,200 CAD fully refundable deposit required:
Model Y is available to order in all of North America, parts of Europe and China. Specific countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Belgium and Spain. You will be able to order Model Y in additional markets soon.
Production is listed as “starts late next year”, so there’s no telling exactly when you’ll get your Tesla Model Y, aside from the company’s estimates of “Fall 2020” for the models listed above.
For the ‘cheapest’ Standard Model Y, it’s not set to be available until Spring 2021 and will start at $39,000 USD, or about $51,918 CAD as of writing, for 370 kilometres of range.
Check out the first rides in the Model Y shared below via those in attendance on Instagram:
Prior to announcing the Model Y, Musk summarized a brief history of Tesla, noting how exactly 11 years ago today, the company had made just one car–their original Roadster. The CEO then said Tesla to date has “made about 550,000” cars, and in 12 month’s time, they are expected to hit 1 million total Teslas produced.
When asked by a member of the audience about a Supercharger in Saskatchewan, Musk confirmed one was in the works. “I swear to god…I’ve specifically asked about the Saskatchewan Supercharger and was told it’s under construction.” The CEO said this will allow Canadians to drive across Canada.
Click here to buy a Tesla Model 3, Model S or Model X and get 1,500km of free Supercharging.
Full event replay here:
Update March 15: Corrected entry pricing before savings for three current Model Y configurations.
…more to follow, refresh for updates
