Tesla Model Y to be unveiled on March 15
Tesla's critical new crossover will be around the size of the Model 3, and is slated to go into production from 2020. Pricing details, model ranges, power output all remain unclear at this point, but we'll know more soon.
Tesla has confirmed a launch date for the latest addition to its pure-electric range, with Elon Musk announcing the Model Y SUV will be launched in Los Angeles on March 14, California time.
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, made the announcement over his favourite medium, Twitter. He also confirmed the vehicle will be an SUV "about 10 per cent bigger than Model 3, so will cost about 10 per cent more and have slightly less range for same battery".
Last week Tesla announced it will begin production of the long-promised entry-level US$35,000 ($49,500) Model 3. That Standard Range model has a claimed range of 354 kilometres, and a 0-97km/h time of 5.6 seconds.
According to Musk's calculations, a similar Model Y variant would start from US$38,500 ($54,500), and have a range of roughly 319km.
The Model Y is expected to share many of its design cues with the Model 3, and could be based on the Model 3's platform. Unlike the Model X, the Model Y will be not equipped with Falcon Wing doors.
In the company's most recent letter to shareholders, Tesla stated it hopes to "achieve volume production [of the Model Y] by the end of 2020, most likely at Gigafactory 1".
Gigafactory 1, just outside Reno, Nevada, currently produces battery packs for the company's cars. Production of the Model 3, Model S and Model X takes place in Fremont, Calfornia, at a factory previously owned by GM and Toyota.
The Model Y will also be built at the company's factory in Shanghai, China, once it is completed.
If the Model 3 is anything to go by, the car revealed this month could be a pre-production concept, with certain details, such as the head- and tail-light design, likely to change before the Model Y starts trundling out the factory gate.
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