Tesla sets Model Y debut for 14 March in LA

Tesla will unveil the Model Y at their design studio in Los Angeles on 14 March. According to Elon Musk, the electric SUV will be around 10% larger and more expensive than the Model 3 and will thus offer slightly less range as it uses the same battery.

Previous reports from China had predicted a debut of the Tesla Model Y in Shanghai but, for now, the Californians are sticking close to home. Tesla had already published two teaser photos of the Model Y in advance, but, as usual, they only showed shadowy contours.

With the date for the debut set, some data has been confirmed as well. The electric SUV will share almost 75 per cent of components with the Model 3. The Model 3’s new basic version for 35,000 dollars has a range of 354 km according to the EPA, so this is a clue when it Tesla says that the Model Y will have a slightly lower range while being about 10% more expensive.

Musk provided all this information via Twitter, including the news that the demand for the Model Y is estimated at 500,000 to one million units per year and that the electric car will have “normal” doors. The latter is to be understood in the light of the fact that the company’s first SUV, the Model X is equipped with gullwing doors, which have proved to be complex and susceptible to failure during development and production.

Model Y unveil event on March 14 at LA Design Studio

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2019

However, back to the Model Y: In the course of the latest quarterly report, Tesla had already announced that preparations for the series production of the SUV crossover would begin this year, “most likely in Gigafactory 1” in the US. A few weeks earlier, Tesla had leaked that around 2,000 Model Y could be produced per week in Nevada as early as autumn 2020, while another pilot line is to be installed in Gigafactory 3 in China around the same, and that around 2,000 Model Y will also be produced per week there by the end of 2020. However, this is unconfirmed information. Tesla, on the other hand, is exact in its target of building 7,000 Model Ys per week in Nevada by 20 December 2020 and 5,000 units per week in China by February 2021.

Meanwhile, Musk knows best how to garner attention for his company with additional announcements. Another Tesla premiere will take place this week as the first Supercharger of the now third generation will open on Wednesday at 8 pm local time (presumably in California). Technical data is not yet available.

The CEO also confirmed that the launch of a pickup truck is planned for this year. “Maybe it will be too futuristic for most people, but I like it,” he said on Twitter. He indicated that Tesla could unveil a prototype later this year. At the beginning of 2018 Musk had initially said that there were concrete plans for an electrically powered pickup under the roof of Tesla.

twitter.com (Model Y), insideevs.com (Pickup-truck), insideevs.com, electrek.co (both Supercharger)