Tesla Model Y refresh might not be happening this year, but there’s a catch
The long-rumored refresh of Tesla’s Model Y might not happen in 2024 after all.
This is according to the folks behind Tesla app Teslascope, who claim they’ve obtained the talking points sent to Tesla employees by the company itself.
The talking points are apparently specifically designed to qualm customers’ fears about buying the Model Y just before the (officially unannounced) refresh happens.
“We heard your feedback that some customers are waiting to place their Model Y order as they anticipate a refresh similar to Model 3,” the text of the talking points says. “It is important that we communicate transparently that there is no refresh for Model Y launching this year.”
Teslascope itself added that, contrary to recent reports, its timeline “continues to confidently note that a refresh is not expected until the very end of this year, going into Q1-Q2 of 2025.”
All this might sound odd to folks who follow Tesla. The company launched a refreshed version of its Model 3 last year; given how similar the Model Y and Model 3 are, this spurred rumors that a similarly revamped Model Y was coming, too. Numerous reports, including one from Reuters, claimed that Tesla will start production of a refreshed Model Y, codenamed Juniper, sometime in 2024. The company also recently launched a slightly refreshed version of the Model Y, albeit in China.
So what’s the deal with this latest report from Teslascope? Well, it might very well turn out to be true, but only in North America. The talking points quoted above are for North American Tesla employees. And the refreshed Model 3 was launched in Europe months before it came to the U.S. So it’s quite possible that Tesla aims to launch the upgraded Model Y in Europe and China in 2024, but wait until next year before it starts selling it in North America.
The folks from Teslascope confirmed this is a likely scenario, saying that “all eyes are on Shanghai and/or Berlin.”
What does all this mean for prospective buyers? Well, if you’re in Europe or China, and looking to buy a new Model Y, you might want to wait for the refresh. Sure, it might still be quite a long wait (the refreshed Model 3 came out in Europe in September 2023), but if you dig those slick headlights, new taillights on the outside, as well an additional display, LED lighting, and better noise isolation in the cabin, you should probably wait for the new one — the Model 3 got those improvements, and it’s likely that the Model Y will get similar ones as well.
If you’re in the U.S., it might not be worth the wait. The refreshed Model 3 launched more than 4 months in the U.S. after its European debut; if the Model Y follows in the same footsteps, it’ll take nearly a year before it gets to North America.