Tesla Space #88: The new new Model Y (L)

Welcome to the Tesla Space newsletter, our 89^th issue.

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week:

• Deep Dive: the New Model Y L unveiled with more changes than we thought.

• Tesla created a Luxe package for the Model S & X, bumping the price;

• Teslas are least likely to be stolen per statistics (and obvious reasons);

• The Tesla Service and owner feedback loop are changing;

• Tesla started advertising on YouTube (yes, really);

• Starship 10th flight test on August 24th

…and more, as always. Enjoy!

— Jaan

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VEHICLES: The New New Model Y

…aka the Model Y L

It turns out there was a bit more than just a longer wheelbase involved in this new Model Y version that we covered a few weeks back, and it has now been unveiled in China. It appeared today in many Tesla showrooms across China.

It is very likely we will see this version also trickle to the US and European markets soon.

• Starting price of RMB 339,000 ($47,180) in China, deliveries start in September. It’s about $3,600 USD more expensive than the Model Y Long Range AWD in China.

• Here’s a short video from Tesla China introducing the vehicle, and here is a longer video from one of the Chinese reviewers, with English subtitles (video).

• The new Model Y comes with a six-seat configuration and a longer wheelbase;

• Second row captain chairs with powered armrests. The armrest is one-touch operated. (video) They are also seated and ventilated.

• The second and third row seats are all power-foldable. The third row seats also are heated.

• Armrests and cup holders in the third row as well. There are two LED lights in the ceiling above the third row. The third row seats will also be equipped with two C-type ports.

• By the way, you can also control every seat from the front screen. (video)

• Perhaps a good overview of both the leg and headroom is seen with these two guys. The taller guy on the right had another fist's length of leg room in this picture:

Or perhaps a look from above:

• Black headliner (a first for a Model Y variant), currently only in Dark Premium interior, Tesla China says Light Gray interior will be added later.

• Redesigned front seats that are more comfortable and have adjustable headrests

• The central screen is larger, 16’’ (current Model Y has 15.4’’), the second-row screen is at 8’’. It also seems to have a speaker under the second-row screen. And also, there’s pop-out cupholders under that screen

  

• Additional front seat leg-rest support (here’s a video of it).

• Four additional air vents on pillars. Two for the second row and two for the third row passengers.

• It also has air-cooled wireless phone chargers, first time Tesla has done this. The charging base has small slit air vents in the center that blows cool air onto your phone to prevent overheating. The left driver's side wireless charger now supports up to 50W charging speeds (previously 30W). The right charger is still 30W.

• Here’s a short video of how the Model Y L airbags work.

• Larger spoiler, and there is a brake light under the spoiler.

The rear glass also extends all the way back to the spoiler, making it look quite massive

• Tesla says “Optimized sound insulation effectively reduces noise.”

• Suspension upgrade: “continuously variable body damping shock absorbers.”

• A maximum cargo space of 2,539 liters (89.6 cubic feet). The trunk cover has a magnet attached to it so it can be secured to the back of the third row chair. (video). The Model Y’s has 20% more total cargo space than a Standard Model Y. Here’s a look at the space with all seats up:

And here’s how it looks with seats folded down:

• Exclusive paint option called Starlight Gold, which is offered for an additional RMB 12,000.

• Only offered with 19-inch Mecha Wheels, which feature a unique star-esque pattern. Here they are with inserts on or off:

  

• 18 speakers, including one subwoofer.

• There are 8 cameras, including a front bumper camera with a washer.

• As we know, it is about 180mm (7 inches) longer, ~24mm (1 inch) taller, and the wheelbase is 150mm (or approximately 6 inches) longer than the regular Y, at 119.7’’. It weighs 2,088 kg (4,602 lbs).

• It goes 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds;

• CLTC range of 751 km (467 miles) Note that CLTC range is 20-30% off compared to EPA usually.

• Battery pack is 82 kWh, NMC chemistry from LG.

I think we were able to cover pretty much everything that came as new with the car.

I’m curious about your thoughts, so drop them in our feedback poll at the bottom of this email!

Other Tesla vehicle news:

• Tesla created "Luxe Package" for the Model S & X, increasing price by $10k but adding $15k worth of stuff like FSD, free lifetime Supercharging, 4 years premium service, and free lifetime Premium Connectivity. The starting prices in the US are now from $94,990 (Model S AWD) to $114,990 (Model X Plaid).

• The Tesla Model 3&Y are the least likely vehicles to be stolen, according to IIHS.

• Just look at this Cybertruck full send:

TESLA NEWS

• Tesla's new head of sales in North America (position still not officially confirmed though), Raj Jegannathan, says they'll add a feature to the roadmap: general Tesla feature requests in a forum that others can upvote.
  In the same thread, above, Raj writes: "Yeah, there are too many places where we can provide feedback across products and services(financial, service, insurance, etc), creating a unified feedback is mission critical to improve our offering E2E, so we took the web route as it is quick and simple to refine before we get it integrated into our Mobile App."

• Also, there's a new feedback form from Tesla where you can report FSD issues (such as mapping issues), service-related feedback, Robotaxi, Supercharging, delivery, etc - currently available on web in your Tesla account. The short url to get there is https://ts.la/feedback

• Raj also writes Tesla has "added 700+ new vehicles to its loaner fleet in last 2 weeks across the U.S. More work in-progress to track and improve loaner allocation to customers."
  Raj is now the second-most posting Tesla employee I believe, after Elon.

• It seems a lot of changes are coming to the Tesla service. Also, Tesla has launched a new rental program for their Collision Centers — you can rent any Tesla for just $45/day. (Just a sidenote, collision centers don’t usually give out free loaners like the service centers). Price includes FSD, Free Supercharging, and Free tolls.

• There was a car-carrier truck fire that was carrying Teslas on the 5 freeway in LA - Tesla VP of Supply Chain says it was the semi-truck that caught fire first, not Teslas. Even though media will have a field day assuming otherwise I'm sure.

• Tesla will soon finally let you add a referral code after you've already placed a new vehicle order. Also, Tesla changed the US referral program: when someone uses your referral code and buys a Model S/X, they will now receive a $250 discount towards their car purchase. Buyers of Model 3/Y and Cybertrucks still get 3 free months of FSD (Supervised).

• It seems that Tesla Sweden has come out as a winner from the IF Metall union strikes after 600 days, with the latter giving up without a collective agreement they pushed for.

• Tesla started advertising on YouTube, in a move that goes right against what Elon has said about Tesla not going to ‘manipulate’ people with advertising.

PS! If you enjoy these reports and want to support us, consider becoming a Tesla Space Insider — it will also level up your knowledge in all things Tesla.

MUSKONOMY

SpaceX / Starlink

The Federal Aviation Administration has closed its review of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 9 (which lost both Super Heavy booster and the upper stage), clearing the way for the next launch attempt as soon as August 24. Regulators accepted SpaceX’s findings that a fuel component failure was the root cause.

The livestream for Flight 10 is now set here for Sunday, August 24th, with the launch window opening at 6:30 pm CT.

SpaceX will attempt a Gulf splashdown for Flight 10 once more, instead of a tower capture, according to a report from the Boston Herald.

Starlink continues to support those in areas impacted by the wildfires in Canada by providing an additional free month of service for existing and new customers (it started on June 6th). It is also doing the same plus emergency response and relief efforts in Cape Verde due to an extreme storm.

Starlink will be installed at 270 Australia Post locations in Australia, with the executives reporting internet speed increases of 4 to 22 times faster.

xAI / Grok

X algo going Grok powered, Elon says: "Am trying out the new 𝕏 algorithm powered by Grok 4 Mini. It’s definitely better. Will require ~20k GPUs to roll out to all users and there is higher latency, but the juice is worth the squeeze."

xAI says it's investing upwards of $40 billion at its Colossus site to train Grok. They are using 208 Tesla Megapacks (worth ~$190M) to help power its Colossus 1 supercomputer, with even more planned for Colossus 2. They're building a 500-acre solar farm near the site. Construction begins in September.