Last Updated on: 17th July 2025, 02:16 am
The Specs
Here is what we know about the new longer Model Y L, according to information published publicly on China’s industry ministry website today.
• Seats 6 passengers• Curb weight: 4,605 lbs (2,088 kg), 209 lbs heavier than current Model Y AWD• Overall length: ~196 inches (4976… pic.twitter.com/E3WIKvMhUk
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 16, 2025
According to Sawyer Merritt’s translation of the official post by Tesla China on its Weibo account, this isn’t just a stretched Model Y. It is a completely new model, similar to when Toyota came out with its very successful Grand Highlander (which now outsells their regular Highlander in the US). People who can afford a new SUV frequently want a larger vehicle. I’ve written before about my family of 5 and how one of the keys to keep the 3 kids from fighting was to give each of them their own row in our minivan. As you may know, the 3rd row in the Model Y was too small. The 3rd row in the Model X is a bit bigger, but that car costs twice as much and it is out of the range of 90% of the people buying cars.
Why do people want SUVs or minivans that hold 6 or 7 people with big 2nd and 3rd rows?
If you have even 2 kids, you want to give them their own row.
Car seats and booster seats are huge and the government recommends keeping kids in a car seat until they are 7 years old and a booster seat until 12 years old in the US. This means you can’t say your small kids under 12 can fit in normal sized cars. They need big rows to hold kids.
Most adults in many countries are tall and overweight, and both take up room.
Most parents take their kids to school and pick them up, and since that can be a burden to working parents, they form carpools. When you have a carpool, you want to be able to take a lot of kids to and from school. The kids complain if the seats are cramped.
When you go on a trip, you may want to bring a friend or a relative, and it is much more convenient if you don’t have to drive two cars.
When you go downtown for an event, you want to take everyone in one car, so you don’t have to pay for parking for two cars.
In China and some other countries, it is common to hire a driver (because that is relatively inexpensive), and then the owner can work in the back seat. In this case, you want the back seat to be the best seat in the car.
The Car Might Be Roomier Than You Expect
Credit: Tesla
Why? Because they didn’t just increase the length by 7 inches, they increased the wheelbase by 6 inches. This means most of the space is for passengers, not in a big hood or trunk. But what most people miss is the 1.7 inches of extra height. This means all 3 rows could sit a little more upright. This is what I noticed when I moved from a Model 3 to a Model Y four years ago. The car isn’t a lot longer (2 inches), but the car has a lot more height (7 inches). This means as a driver, I would recline the seat a lot more in the Model 3 than the Model Y. That meant the person sitting behind me had a lot more legroom in the Model Y. So, if the people sit just a bit more upright (the seats have to be designed so that is comfortable), that might give you an extra inch of legroom in each row. If you design the seat to be a bit thinner, yet still comfortable, that might give you an extra inch from each row (airlines are using very thin seats that are comfortable, so maybe Tesla can do that too). So, you might get 3 inches from more upright seats, 3 inches from thinner seats, and 6 inches from the longer wheelbase. And 12 inches is a LOT of space! You may not even need that much extra legroom, but it might have that much.
Other Random Thoughts
I love the new gold paint color! I am so sick of shades of grey and silver. I had a 1998 Honda Accord in a gold color similar to this for 14 years and it was beautiful. It didn’t show the dirt, yet looked even better when it was waxed. It was by far my favorite car color in the 15 or so cars I’ve owned.
It has slightly wider rear tires than the standard Model Y (275 vs. 255). Maybe that is needed for the increased weight.
I’m pretty neutral on the styling. I don’t think it is ugly, but I don’t love it either. It is kind of like the opposite of the love it or hate it Cybertruck. I think it just blends with all the other modern cars on the road. It’s a car for someone who wants to blend in, not stick out. Visually like a Camry, but of course much more room than any Camry.
The car is only 209 pounds heavier than the Model Y AWD in China, even with its sightly larger battery pack. This is likely because it uses an NMC battery instead for the LFP battery used in the AWD model in China.
Conclusion
This is half of what all Tesla investors want — Tesla to keep updating its lineup. Many think that the Robotaxi and Optimus will take a while to become a success. If they don’t believe in Robotaxi or Optimus, they really shouldn’t own Tesla stock, since it is overpriced for “just a car company.”
Of course, the other half of what investors want is to deliver a “more affordable” model (like a $25,000 to $30,000 hatchback or small crossover). Now, you could consider the Model Y L a “more affordable” model, because it is similar in size to a Model X and a lot less money. If it is as roomy as I think it will be inside, it will be the ultimate TARDIS “bigger on the inside.” This means Tesla will have to get the word out that this is as roomy as a large SUV or a minivan but looks like a bloated hatchback. The reason is of course its flat floor gives it more usable room. But with Tesla’s aversion to spending money on advertising, they will need to generate some hype to get the word out. Can they do that? They used to be able to do that. The Model Y became the best selling car in the world with minimal advertising. But a lot has changed in the last 3 years. The competition that seemed like it would never come, finally showed up. Tesla’s brand, which used to be loved by many across the political spectrum, is now tarnished in many eyes. I think many people just want a great car and don’t buy a car based on their politics, but people do care what others think. I am encouraged by some progressive Tesla owners who I know who just took off their anti-Elon bumper stickers recently. They thought after Elon’s breakup with Trump that the anti-Elon sticker might be interpreted as support of Trump and they didn’t want to risk that.
If you want to take advantage of my Tesla referral link to get up to $1000 off a new Tesla vehicle, here’s the link: https://ts.la/paul92237 — but as I have said before, if another owner helped you more, please use their link instead of mine. If you want to learn more about Tesla’s new referral program (August 2024) — Chris Boylan has written an excellent article on it.
Disclosure: I am a shareholder in Tesla [TSLA], BYD [BYDDY], XPeng [XPEV], and several ARK ETFs. But I offer no investment advice of any sort here.
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