Last year in July, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk posted a tweet about the new project which is still in the development stage. The project we are talking about is Tesla Model Y that is going to be the crossover version of the current Model 3. Ever since that, we have got nothing but rumors about the new electric car, and some of those were fueled by Elon Musk himself. However, nothing has been confirmed so far, and the Model Y is not even on Tesla’s official website.
According to some reports, the Model Y has already reached the advanced development stage, and some people believe that the production of this model could start in 2018. Once again, Musk didn’t announce it, and these are just rumors. This doesn’t stop us to research and speculate on what to expect from the Tesla Model Y.
This is not hard to guess, but the Model Y will have an autonomous driving system like any other Tesla. The only difference is that it will be fully autonomous, unlike the semi-autonomous Autopilot that is available in current models. The new system will be priced at $8,000, and it will come with all of the Enhanced Autopilot features. The Level 5 autonomy depends on software validation and regulatory approval, so we are not sure when the company plans to implement it.
Tesla’s solar roof technology is also something we are looking forward to on the new Model Y, considering that this feature is already used on current models. According to Musk, the solar glass on the vehicle will be net positive, which means that more energy will be created than used. In October 2015, Musk tweeted that the new Model Y will resemble the Model X when it comes to the falcon-wing doors. The tweet was later deleted.
So it is still an open question whether the Model Y will have the falcon-wing doors or not. Considering that the owners were not quite pleased with these doors on the Model X, they probably won’t be used on the Model Y. Another reason for removal of these is the fact that they are far more expensive than the regular option. The best way to solve this issue is to offer the falcon-wing doors as an option and those people who like it can add them easily.
In terms of range, the Model Y should beat Chevy’s electric SUV, and it should come with a heads-up dashboard display giving it an edge in another segment. The Models 3 interior still hasn’t been fully unveiled, and this is the reason we cannot even speculate what the one on the Model Y will look like.
Model Y Price
The price is also unknown, which is reasonable since the car is still in the development process. However, we believe that the Model Y will be more expensive than Model 3 which is priced at $35,000. One thing is for sure – we are going to see an exciting Model Y.
