Updated Tesla Model Y Debuts in China – More Power, New Wheels

Tesla has surprisingly updated the Model Y in China

The Tesla Model Y EV SUV is getting an out-of-the-blue mild update in China this week. Ahead of a bigger update expected to take place later in 2024, the China-bound Model Y gets some minor cosmetic and equipment upgrades, as well as a slight performance boost.

The updated Model Y now comes with new 19-inch black Gemini wheels with more aerodynamic design

Starting off with the visuals, the updated Model Y in China now rides on new 19-inch Gemini wheels with a slightly updated design and new black hue, replacing the previous silver ones. Featuring a more aerodynamic design and smaller than the previous ones, these new wheels have granted the updated Model Y with a better CLTC range.

Speaking of range, the baseline rear-wheel drive (RWD) Model Y gets a slight 9 KM EV range boost over the previous model, garnering it with a 554 KM CLTC range. Meanwhile, the dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) Long Range variant has a better 688 KM CLTC range – 28 KM more than before. However, maximum range figure remains unchanged for the top-specced Performance variant.

The baseline Model Y RWD is now a whole second faster on a straight line!

On the performance front, this update sees the baseline Model Y RWD accelerate a whole second faster on a straight line, capable of despatching from nought to 100 KM/H in 5.9 seconds, compared to 6.9 seconds previously. Unfortunately, Tesla does not specify what exact upgrades were given to the Model Y RWD, so it could be either the drive unit, battery output, or simply a software tweak.

Meanwhile, drive performance for the Long Range AWD and Performance models remain unchanged from before.

On board, the updated Model Y is given a pretty mild cosmetic change, which includes the addition of new RGB ambient lights on the dash, while a new textile dashboard trim replaces the previous model’s wood veneers. More importantly, the China-made Model Y now sports with the new Hardware 4.0 (HW4) self-driving computer to help improve its autonomous driving performance, while NVH level has also been improved.

Surprisingly, prices for the updated Model Y remain unchanged from the previous version

In spite of these improvements, the pricing for the updated China-spec Tesla Model Y remains unchanged from before, with the base RWD model starting at CNY 263,900 (RM173,021). Meanwhile, the Long Range AWD and Performance variants are priced CNY 299,900 (RM193,119) and CNY 349,900 (RM225,316) respectively.

As for now, we can’t be sure whether this update will also take place to the Malaysian-bound Tesla Model Y – which is also made at the same Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai as the China-spec models. Important to note also is that deliveries for the Malaysian-bound Model Y will only start later in 2024, in spite of rave receptions and stellar booking figures.