- The facelifted Model Y has been better accepted than the facelifted Model 3 in China, according to local media.
- Show cars of the facelifted Model Y have been gradually shipped to Tesla’s showrooms in China.
Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) facelifted Model Y has been better accepted than the facelifted Model 3 after its launch in China, with orders exceeding 70,000 units in the first five days after its launch, local media outlet Yicai said in a January 25 report, citing an insider.
Separately, another local media outlet, Jiemian, cited market rumors in a report yesterday that Model Y orders had reached 73,400 units as of January 15, of which 59,000 were for the facelifted model.
That means the facelifted Model Y had received nearly 60,000 orders in the five days since pre-sales opened on January 10, Jiemian’s report noted.
Tesla launched the facelifted five-seat Model Y in China on January 10, marking the first time it has made a major update to a model available first in China.
Tesla is offering two Model Y variants it calls the “Launch Series,” with deliveries expected to begin in March.
The two variants include a rear-wheel-drive version with a starting price of RMB 263,500 ($36,280) and a long-range all-wheel-drive version with a starting price of RMB 303,500.
The most notable change to the facelifted Model Y is the exterior design, which draws inspiration from the Cybertruck and Cybercab robotaxi. Its battery and powertrain have also been upgraded.
The Model Y is one of the models produced at Tesla’s Shanghai factory, the other being the Model 3 electric sedan.
On October 19, 2023, Tesla officially started selling the facelifted Model 3 in China, bringing some changes to the exteriors and features.
Tesla’s fast pace of research and development is the key to its success against legacy automakers, Yicai’s report said, citing an R&D source at the EV maker.
The facelifted Model Y released in the US is a global product developed with the participation of Tesla’s Chinese team, similar to the facelifted Model 3, the source said.
Tesla’s Chinese developers focused on designing and improving the vehicle’s exterior and interior, while the US developers focused more on work related to software such as Autopilot, Yicai said, citing an industry source.
Show cars of the revamped Model Y have been gradually shipped to Tesla’s showrooms in China, Grace Tao, the EV maker’s vice president of external affairs, said on January 25 on Weibo.
($1 = RMB 7.2636)
