One at a time, for heavens’ sake.
Overambitious American EV company Tesla has, once again, teased an upcoming model long before an eventual market introduction, likely to boost investor confidence and stop investment ratings firms from waning on the firm. Despite the company facing numerous challenges trying to get its entry-level Model 3 to market, Tesla wants to add more complexity to its life, teasing the Model Y compact crossover well-ahead of its March 2019 planned debut.
The Model Y has long been rumoured to simply be a smaller version of the Model X, and if the teaser image is any indication, that’s what it’ll be. There’s a uniqueness to the proportions that bear more than a passing resemblance to the bigger Model X, with a bluff front end, a sleek windscreen, and muscular haunches. That character line that defines the front fenders will likely carry onwards to the rear, with equally-curvy rear fenders and an abrupt bum.
The powertrain for the Model Y is expected to be identical to what’s on offer with the Model 3, so we’re guessing an entry-level two-wheel drive model, followed by an all-wheel drive model, and a performance model. Tesla has reiterated that the company will be be launching the Model Y only in March 2019, and not sooner, quashing rumours that the company was speeding up introduction of the Model Y to take on cars like the Jaguar I-Pace, Mercedes-Benz EQC, and the BMW iX3.
Production for the Model Y is expected to take place sometime in late 2020, which means that the already-announced Tesla Semi and Roadster will likely only start rolling off the line after that. There’s no doubt that when it arrives, it’ll quickly overtake the Model 3 as the most popular Tesla in the range (given the craze surrounding crossovers), and we’re looking forward to watching the overconfident company stumble and bumble as they try and make that work.
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