Tesla’s Y EV SUV on way

TheTesla Model Y is getting closer to an Australian launch.

Government documents show it’s been approved for Australian sale, indicating a local introduction isn’t far off for the mid-sized electric SUV.

These documents list three different powertrain options: one with 255kW of power, another with 378kW, and a third with 393kW of power.

We’ve approached Tesla Australia to confirm local launch timing.

In the US, the Model Y is available in two dual-motor all-wheel-drive variants — Long Range and Performance — while the Chinese market line-up also includes a Standard Range rear-wheel-drive version.

Tesla Australia claims electric range of 505km and 480km, respectively. That’s quite a bit down from the Model 3 Long Range AWD and Performance’s claimed WLTP figures of 580km and 567km.

The Standard Range RWD has a claimed 525km range, albeit under the more lenient NEDC standard. Tesla doesn’t make power and torque figures easily accessible, instead using metrics like 0-100km/h times to communicate how fast its cars are.

Claimed 0-100km/h times for the Model Y Standard Range, Long Range and Performance are 5.6, 5.0 and 3.7 seconds, respectively.

Given the Australian market Model 3 has switched to Chinese sourcing, the Model Y will likely come from there as well.

It’s been a long wait for the mid-sized electric crossover, of which US deliveries began back in March 2020.

It may be beaten to market by Hyundai Motor Group’s product trio on the new, all-electric E-GMP architecture: the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and Genesis GV60.

The Ioniq 5 is being launched this month, while the EV6 should be here by the end of the year and the GV60 will follow in the first half of 2022.

The Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric will be launched before the end of this year, while the Audi Q4 e-tron will follow in 2022.

Given the strong demand for the Tesla Model 3, the more practical Model Y should find a welcoming audience in Australia. Although Tesla doesn’t report sales figures, the Electric Vehicle Council says 5031 of the 7248 electric vehicles sold in Australia in the first half of 2021 were Teslas.

The Model 3 seems to be doing the heavy lifting for the brand, with market analysts suggesting Tesla sold about 4200 Model 3s over the first six months of 2021 in Australia.

That would be enough to make it Australia’s bestselling EV, if not quite Australia’s bestselling sedan — the Toyota Camry still holds that title.

From carexpert.com.au