Tesla's long-awaited " more affordable Model Y " has been spotted testing on the highway , apparently without any camouflage. However, it's just a Model Y with some cheaper parts - and a price tag that's not much different from other Tesla vehicles.
For many years, Tesla had planned to build a much more affordable vehicle, with a starting price of around $25,000. This vehicle was nicknamed the “Model 2” and would have offered the most affordable entry point into the electric vehicle market, at least in the West. But that project was abruptly canceled by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, as first reported by Reuters and immediately denied by Musk. However, Reuters was later proven correct in its report.
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In its place, Tesla began offering vague promises of "more affordable models," starting with the Q1 report in April 2024. Tesla later clarified that these would enter production in the first half of 2025. The language Tesla used suggested that the cheaper vehicles would be new models, meaning more than one model, and not simply based on a current Tesla model. However, it was reported that this was unlikely to happen, and that the new models would simply be a simplified version of the ModelY.
Tesla's first-half deadline has passed, but on Tesla's Q2 call, it was reported that "first builds" were produced in June. In the same call, Musk stated that the "new affordable model" is... the Model Y.
The new, more affordable Tesla Model Y
The “more affordable” Model Y first appeared in “spy photos” from China, which included exterior footageand a sneak peek at the interior. However, in those photos, the front and rear of the vehicle were covered in camouflage, suggesting there would be some changes in those areas that Tesla didn’t want to leak just yet.
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Tesla seems to be no longer worried about these leaks, as a Model Y has been spotted driving on the highway without any camouflage, offering a glimpse into what Tesla has been hiding for so long. The photos show a Model Y with Florida manufacturer plates.
The clear photos show that the car doesn't have the front light bar that was added with the Juniper facelift, but instead reverts to separate lights – although both are quite narrow, like the Juniper's lights. The rear also doesn't have the light bar, which has been replaced with a horizontal black line that lacks the "TESL A" badge.
The model also features new aerodynamic wheels, which should help add a bit of range (and may compensate for a smaller battery, although there's no word yet on whether the battery size is part of the simplification associated with the "more affordable" model).
Aside from the lack of light bars, the front and rear look pretty much the same as the Juniper facelift. However, one worrying detail is that the rear trunk lid doesn't seem to fit snugly in the position it's supposed to. This misalignment is visible from a distance on the highway.
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What might the interior look like?
While these photos don't show us anything from the interior, information from a recent software update gives us some clues about what's been removed. In addition to the removal of the glass roof, coat hooks , and 8-inch screen in the rear (all of which we saw in the Chinese leaks), the software update suggests that the Model Y will not have ambient LED lights, single-axis seat controls, and simpler air vents.
The fact that this vehicle was spotted without camouflage, combined with the fact that it has appeared in recent software updates, suggests that its launch may be short-lived. We expected it to launch in China first, as has happened with some other Tesla models recently, but the vehicle's presence on US roads means it could be coming to the US soon.
