After months of speculation, teasers and tweets revolving around the Model Y, Tesla has finally given in and unwrapped it for the world. The Model Y is Tesla’s fourth mainstream car and, in times to come, it could very well become the bestselling for the carmaker. Don’t go by the naming nomenclature. The Model Y doesn’t sit above the insanely fast and expensive Model X. Instead, it is a mixed-breed between the Model 3 and the Model X.
The Model Y can by no means be classified as an SUV. Its crossover-style silhouette hides 75 per cent of the stuff from the Model 3. But thanks to a taller design, the Model Y can optionally seat seven passengers. The Y also brings a panoramic glass roof to the party but doesn’t have the gullwing doors like the X and makes do with normal, pillar-less ones. Compared to the Model 3, the Y is nearly 10 per cent larger in size.
Over to the electric powertrain. Just like other Tesla cars, the Model Y will be sold in a number of configurations. The entry-level version will have a single electric motor powering the rear wheels. The sprint to 100kmph from nought should take around 6 seconds while the range between charges is claimed to be around 370km. Top speed: 193kmph. Next in line will be the rear-wheel-drive long-range version. It will boast a bigger battery and a stronger electric motor. Thanks to that, the 0-100kmph time will be around 5.7 seconds whereas the top speed will be 209kmph. The range? Nearly 483km.
The third version will be the long-range all-wheel-drive. This is where the count of electric motors double underneath. Thanks to that the sprint to 100kmph from a standstill should take around 5 seconds whereas the top speed will be 217kmph. Here, the range is claimed to be around 450km. The range-topping variant, the performance, will get the same range as the AWD long-range version. But it will have quicker acceleration, with a 0-100kmph time of around 3.7 seconds, and higher top speed – 241kmph.
As far as features go, all variants of the Tesla Model Y will get a 15-inch touchscreen infotainment display, 12-way power-adjustable front and rear heated seats, a sound system with 14 speakers, 1 subwoofer and 2 amplifiers, built-in navigation with live traffic updates, LED fog lamps and auto-dimming, power-folding, heated ORVMs. Apart from the performance variant, which gets 20-inch wheels, all other derivatives can be had with either 18- or 19-inch wheels.
Launch? Except for the entry-level version, which is slated for launch in spring of 2021, all other variants of the Tesla Model Y will launch late next year. Is it India-bound? We sure hope so, considering Elon Musk recently said that Tesla will be in India in 2020 or 2021.