The new 2025 Tesla Model Y has been officially revealed as sales of the updated crossover begin in China.
Codenamed Project Juniper and spotted testing in Europe earlier this month, this facelift for the Model Y comes as Tesla faces intense competition in all global markets.
Broadly, the upgrades match those made to the Tesla Model 3 last year, and are focused around improving the Model Y’s efficiency, refinement and quality.
The headline change for the world’s best-selling electric car is its freshly redesigned exterior, differentiated from the current car by wraparound light bars at the front and rear and subtly reshaped bumpers.
The SUV’s immense commercial success makes it Tesla’s most important asset and the American EV maker will look to leverage it in an attempt to move out of a prolonged dip in sales.
Because the car has not been updated in almost five years, it no longer so obviously offers a usability and performance advantage over its rivals. The SUV’s maximum 331-mile range, for example – seen as a headline attribute at its launch – has now been surpassed by cheaper rivals such as the Skoda Enyaq and Peugeot e-3008.
Tesla says the new look has been conceived to “maximise efficiency, using every kilowatt-hur more effectively”, and says new suspension, wheels and tyres will help in this endeavour.
Its drag coefficient is said to have been reduced from 0.23Cd to 0.22Cd, which should boost range and cut wind noise.
It’s also 47mm longer than the current car, at 4797mm, and 1mm thinner, at 1624mm wide.
Inside, the Model Y follows its saloon sibling in being treated to a subtle refresh of its materials and technology, rather than a wide-reaching overhaul.
There is now a touchscreen in the rear, for example, and the back seats now fold electrically to increase boot space. The fronts are now ventilated, too, and can be upholstered in new fabrics that “make you relax as if you are floating in space”.