The Tesla Model L is a long-wheelbase variant of the Tesla Model Y. It is manufactured in China and, at least for now, only available there. China is famous for its L-cars, which are long-wheelbase variants of existing cars specially developed for the Chinese market. I went to a Tesla Center in Beijing to check it out.
Since Tesla entered China in 2014, there have been rumors about long-wheelbase versions of the Model S and the Model 3. But, in the end, only the Model Y got the L treatment. Gigafactory Shanghai manufactures the Model Y L, next to the regular Model Y and the Model 3. Tesla launched the Model Y L in China in August, and deliveries began in September.
How’s Tesla doing in China?
Not bad! The Tesla brand is still strong, and “Elon” remains a popular figure. His political adventures are widely reported in China, but consumers don’t seem to care very much. In August, Tesla sold 57,152 cars, good for 7th place (out of 108) in the brand sales rankings, with a 2.81% market share. That’s only two spots below Tesla’s record: 5th place in March 2023.
Tesla’s best-seller is the Model Y. In August, the Y took 68.96% of Tesla’s sales, and the Model 3 took the rest. Indeed, in August, the Tesla Model L was the second-best-selling car in China overall. Tesla doesn’t sell the S and X as-new anymore, but there is some dealer inventory left. In the whole year of 2024, Tesla sold 657.102 cars, good for the 9th spot, with a market share of 2.86%. In China, Tesla sells cars in 3 ways:
- Online, like in the US.
- Via experience stores in malls. Customers can make a test drive with cars parked in the basement and order a car on the spot.
- Via “Tesla Centers” (特斯拉中心), which combine the functions of a dealer, a delivery center, and a service center. Customers can make a test drive and order a car.
I went to the Beijing Yaojiayuan Tesla Center (北京姚家园特斯拉中心) in eastern Beijing. It is located in a large dealer area between Hongqi and Roewe dealers. The dealer had only one Y L on display; the staff told me it had arrived from Shanghai the previous evening. It was so new it didn’t even have a model name on the license plate. People and kids were all over the car; that’s always okay in China, so I included in my photo other interested consumers, who loudly exclaimed their opinions, which was great. The salesfolks wear red T-shirts and black trousers. They were very friendly and knew all bout the new long-wheelbase car.
What’s the big deaL?
It sounds so simple: just add a few inches in the middle, and there you have your L-car. That’s indeed how early Chinese L-cars were created. But with modern cars, it ain’t so easy. The manufacturer needs to lengthen the chassis, the roof, the rear doors, and redo the rear compartment. The differences between the Model Y L and the regular Model Y are quite large:
- The L is 7 inches longer, 1.7 inches higher, with a 6-inch longer wheelbase. The width is unchanged.
- Everything behind the B-pillar is new. The roofline extends further, the rear window is much longer, the doors are also longer, and the hips are a lot wider.
The official type name is Model Y L. However, there’s no L-badge on the car. Instead, it has a triple Y badge on the back, which refers to the 3-row seating setup.
How does it look and feel?
At first glance, the L doesn’t look very different compared to the regular Y. But when you see them side by side, it is immediately clear that the Y L is a larger vehicle.
This is most notable from ¾ behind, where the design changes are best visible. The rear is tall, emphasized by a big black wing.
First row
The Tesla Model Y L has a larger touch screen: 16 inches instead of 15.4.
Tesla uses Baidu Maps for navigation in China, instead of Google Maps. The L has an 18-speaker audio system, two more than in the regular Y.
Second row
The rear doors open to almost 45 degrees, making it easy to get in. Inside, the second row features two wide seats with generous space for legs, shoulders, and head. The seats are fully electric, and the seatbacks recline far to the rear. Between the front seats is Tesla’s 8-inch screen.
Six-seat SUVs by Chinese brands are about space and about luxury. They are usually loaded with leather seats, wood trim, tray tables, and a shipload of screens. Nothing like that, at all, in the Tesla Model Y L, and the staid gray color didn’t help. I heard people say it looked “too boring” inside. I totally agreed.
Going to the Third Row
The second-row seat slides & folds forward electronically. The button to move the seat is at the bottom, so you have to bend over to operate it. Many Chinese brands fit such buttons somewhere at the top of the seat, so you can stand. The seat moved pretty slowly; it took about 15 seconds to move it out of the way.
A quicker option is going to the middle. That’s where the biggest innovation is: an armrest that disappears into the seat at the push of a button. The armrest slides up or down in five seconds. Sadly, however, the button is again in a difficult location, all the way at the very bottom of the seat, and it’s small, so it’s difficult to find. You need to press it pretty hard, too. The build quality of the armrest assembly looked pretty bad. The seam of the plastic was poorly aligned and way too wide. With the armrest down, the opening is wide enough to get to the third row. Strangely, the floor is not flat; there’s a raised area exactly in the middle, so when you walk through, you have to be careful not to stumble.
The Third Row
The seat in the second row is still in the same position. I’m 5’10” tall, and I couldn’t sit behind myself, and my head was against the back window. It’s really tight there. The seats in the third row are also very low, so there’s no leg support.
The seats in the third row are so close together that the seat belt buckles are behind each other. For kids, it’s fine, as long as they are not taller than five-feet or so.
There’s just not enough space for adults on the third row. But, again, that’s it for luxury, and there’s no entertainment. The third-side window is tiny; small kids won’t be able to see much of the outer world. I heard other folks complaining about the headroom, and one guy said it was “too tiny for his parents”.
Don’t put grandpa in there! Tesla has fitted air vents in the C-pillar, and each passenger on the third row has a cup holder.
The Trunk & Frunk
The trunk has a capacity of 14.8 cu ft, which goes up to 85.6 cu ft with the third row folded down, and to 89.7 cu ft with the third and second rows folded down. All the seats fold down and return to position electronically at the push of a button. The control buttons sit on the left side of the cabin, just below the yellow sticker. All the seats fold electronically over and back again. The buttons are on the left side, near the yellow sticker.
The frunk adds another 4.1 cu ft.
Looking for the Specs
The Tesla Model Y L is based on the China-spec Long-range AWD version. The curb weight is 2088 kg or 4,603 pounds. The power is 455 hp (462 ps, 340 kW), 190 hp front and 265 hp rear. It has a 130 mph top speed and 0-100 (62 mph) takes 4.5 seconds. The LG NMC battery has an 82 kWh capacity, an energy consumption of 12.8 kWh/100 km (62 miles), and a range of 751 kilometers (466 miles), according to China’s CLTC standard. The Model Y L has a 400V architecture and a max-charging speed of 250 kW.
Money!
The Tesla Model Y L costs 339.000 yuan ($47.6K). The standard Y with the same powertrain costs 313.500 yuan ($44K). The default color appears to be Starry Sky Gray. Other colors cost 8.000-12.000 yuan ($1120 to $1700). The car in the photos is in Starlight Gold. At the moment, the only interior color is Dark Premium, and the only wheel is the 19-inch Swivel Mech Hub. That’s not much choice compared to the competition. Most Chinese brands offer up to eight colors for no or little cost, up to four interior color combinations, and up to eight wheel designs. Tesla keeps its offerings to a bare minimum.
The Main Competitors of the Tesla Model Y L.
The Tesla Model Y L competes with dozens of six-seat NEVs. The main competitors on price are cars like the Aito M8 (EV/EREV), the Li Auto i8 (EV), the Hyptec HL (EV/EREV), the Lynk & Co 900 (PHEV), and the Rox 01 (EREV). That is not all. A slightly cheaper option is the frunk-famous Onvo L90, which costs $37K. But it can be much cheaper still. A basic six-seat electric SUV, like the Leapmotor C16, costs as little as $21K.
All of the competitors — even Leapmotor — offer interiors with more luxury and gadgets. Most deliver higher build quality, and some pack more power. The EREVs also provide a longer range. Yet none match the Model Y L for energy efficiency or Tesla’s unmatched brand recognition. Despite the rapid progress of local carmakers, many consumers still see Tesla as the leading high-tech EV brand.
Anything Else to See There?
A cool Ikea cabinet with various prizes and certificates. Almost all car dealers have such a box somewhere. The prizes are from dealer associations and the like. Chinese companies like to give each other prizes; it’s quite a circus. All the furniture in the Tesla dealer is from Ikea. The dealer looks like the car: no frills and no fun — boring. In a Chinese-brand dealer, you get blaring music, screens all over the place, posters, cardboards, balloons, shiny stuff, and whatnot more. The Tesla shop was calm, even with so many people running around.
Optimus is watching you.
There’s enough space for more China-only Tesla models.
A Pearl White Shanghai-made China-spec Model 3 RWD. That’s the base model, it costs 235.500 yuan or $33K.
A super pretty Tesla Model X AWD in Cool Silver. When new, Tesla asked 724.900 for yuan for it, or $102K. The Model X is quite rare in China.
A cool Model S kiddie car. Electric, of course.
Well, it was time to say goodbye and move on to check other dealers and cars. The orange car in the background is my GAC-FCA Jeep Renegade.
All Images: Author
In our modern safety-testing culture, what’s survivability of anyone in the rear seat when being rearended by virtually anything on the road larger than a badger?
Impressive they found a way to make a Model Y look even worse, while making it marginally more useful.
Tesla’s design language never translated well to crossovers, they just look like overly inflated sedans. The Cybertruck at least displaced the Y for the title of ugliest Tesla ever made