Will Tesla start making the model Y earlier?

According to a Taiwanese business newspaper, Tesla has asked local suppliers to produce parts for Model Y six months earlier than previously planned, this quarter. This again fuels rumours that serial production of the Model Y could start earlier than originally planned.

In October, CleanTechnica reported that Model Y production at the Fremont plant would be brought forward to the first quarter of 2020, citing two independent sources. However, when the figures for the third quarter were published, Tesla had still named “summer 2020” as the starting date.

As Taiwan Economic Daily now writes, Tesla’s suppliers were told that they should start production of their components six months earlier. This makes two scenarios seem possible – the question is whether Tesla informed its suppliers earlier about the start of production in summer 2020. If the suppliers have already assumed summer 2020, a renewed acceleration of the plans indicates that Model Y’s SoP will be brought forward further in the first quarter. But if Tesla has not informed the suppliers in detail about the start of production in summer 2020 (when the Model Y was presented at the end of 2020), this is now the manufacturer’s confirmation of this.

The report mentioned Lianja, BizLink and Hota among others. Linajia already manufactures the taillights for Model 3 and is likely to supply these components for Model Y as well. Bizlink manufactures cables (for in-car wiring), charging cables and mobile chargers. The Taiwanese supplier Hota Industrial manufactures axles, among other things, and has been working with Tesla for years.

A few weeks ago, the German supplier ElringKlinger announced that it had received a follow-up order for cockpit cross beams from a “leading US electric vehicle manufacturer” with “production at the Californian site in Fremont” – in other words, Tesla. Only 2020 was mentioned as the start of production.

teslarati.com, insideevs.com, udn.com (in Mandarin)