The overhauled Tesla Model Y has dropped its camouflage in a series of new images circulated on social media ahead of its imminent launch.
They confirm previous reports that the electric SUV will sport a radically different design from that of the outgoing model, with LED light bars at its front and rear end.
It also gets more prominent air intakes at the front, giving it a look that is distinct from the closely related Tesla Model 3, which was updated last year.
The publication of images comes after the EV, which was the world’s best-selling car in 2023, was recently spotted testing in Europe.
New #Tesla Model Y pic.twitter.com/8pAOxNeQFU
— ThinkerCar (@thinkercar) January 9, 2025
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.
Addressing that shortcoming will be a focus of the Model Y’s facelift, as it was for the Model 3, which can now travel up to 8% farther on a charge than it did previously, thanks to extensive revisions to its aerodynamics and electronics.
Although it is not immediately apparent from the heavily camouflaged test mules seen earlier, the Model Y’s revised front end will follow the updated Model 3 in featuring a bumper that has been reshaped to cut through the air more efficiently and boost range while also reducing wind noise at a cruise.
This treatment lowered the Model 3’s drag coefficient from 0.23 to 0.219, making it one of the slipperiest cars on sale.
