What comes after the Cybertruck? It’s a moderately important question, especially since Tesla doesn’t seem to believe in the traditional seven-year model cycle. As it turns out, we don’t have to wonder any longer. Assets submitted to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reveal that Tesla’s next big thing is a longer Model Y wearing the imaginative name of Model Y L.
It’s not an earth-shaking development, and it means that someone should probably file a missing vehicle report for the second-generation Roadster, but the Model Y L makes sense when you look at Tesla for what it is beyond the hype: an automaker losing significant ground. Between stiff competition in China from brands like Xiaomi and BYD, a bit of an image problem in Western markets due to polarizing decisions by the man at the top, and the reality that the Cybertruck remains a niche proposition, and you can sorta see why the company’s going with the Taco Bell approach. These ingredients worked really well before, what if the engineers just scale it up a bit and add extra cheese?
While it might be difficult at first to pick out the Model Y L from the standard model, a glimpse of the profile reveals that Tesla’s stretched this thing by 7.3 inches—5.9 of which are found within the wheelbase—and given it an entirely new roofline. Not only is the rear door significantly longer, the peak of the roofline now sits behind the B-pillar, giving the stretched Model Y a more Model X-like silhouette. The base of the rear window has also been moved further back, and the rear window itself sits more upright.
Is it a visual improvement? Well, while the Model Y L looks less like someone stuck a straw in a Model 3 and blew hard, it does have that same suppository look that the Model X has, and there’s a lot of visual mass over those rear wheels. However, attractiveness is probably secondary here, because the stretch is all in the name of filling a gap.
While you can get a third-row seat in a regular Model Y, being stuffed back there may constitute cruel and unusual punishment for anyone over five-foot-six or so due to the rake of the rear glass. In contrast, the Model Y L is reportedly a six-seater that should actually fit six adults thanks to the extra-bubbly roofline, and that’s before we even get into gains in second-row legroom. Long-wheelbase cars are big business in China thanks to their increased size and room, so this is definitely a targeted play from Tesla.
Interestingly, Tesla is giving this thing some extra gusto to go with the added size. According to CarNewsChina, the Model Y L is getting a 142 kW motor up front and 198 kW motor out back for a combined output of 340 kW. Translated to freedom units, that’s 456 horsepower, the output of the pre-facelift Model Y Performance. Due to added mass, don’t be surprised if the Model Y L doesn’t quite keep pace with that model’s 3.5-second zero-to-60 mph time, but it should still be rapid.
Of course, given that we only have basic information from China’s MIIT and not from Tesla itself, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the Model Y L. The two biggest things? Consumer sentiment and price. If potential buyers balk at the proposition of a longer, rounder Model Y, or if it winds up being substantially more expensive than the standard model, it’d likely be too little, too late for a brand that’s effectively thrown away a massive lead. However, the compact three-row electric crossover market is relatively fertile ground, even in China. This might actually work, although we won’t know until it’s on sale and the numbers land.
Top graphic image: MIIT
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I don’t hate it. In profile and from the front. But that view from the rear. Ooof!
Given Elon’s puerile sense of humor, I’m surprised that an engorged Model Y was not called a Y-agara.
I just…don’t see this making any significant difference for Tesla in China. Yes, LWB vehicles are popular there. But once again, this is China. A quick Google search says there’s ~150 auto companies there. They are releasing new cars literally all the time, and that’s what people are expecting. The latest and greatest, something new to stand out from the crowd. While that’s true just about everywhere, it seems especially so in China’s EV market.
This thing isn’t really new. To me it looks worse than the standard Y, already a pretty anonymous looking thing in China’s dizzying array of unique EVs. Obviously I don’t know enough about China’s EV market to say for sure, but from everything I’ve learned this isn’t gonna move the needle for Tesla much there.
Out of curiosity, I just looked, and you can get a 2023 Mercedes EQS SUV with less than 30k miles for about $45k. A top-line luxury model for the same price as the current base Tesla Model Y. Ironically, getting the Mercedes also involves less support for a fascist.
Some men look at what we don’t have and ask “Why not?”
I see what we now do have and ask “Y this?”
Y does this thing even exist? It’s coyote ugly at best.
YoY taking fugly to new lengths.
The old Y has a crazy amount of interior room for its size and storage everywhere. People still forget about the actually useful frunk. This looks like more of the same. Having the third row useful for more than mid-size dogs or preteen humans is nice.
Somehow Tesla made the new Y uglier. The old one is not conventionally attractive, but this. This is somehow more dated looking. Whoever signed off on the hatch being a giant slab of sheet metal needs to be given a sanity test. It’s a freaking cliff. All it needs is a sticker of a person hanging off on the plastic underneath. And the front lightbar. Sure, take the element most associated with your most controversial vehicle and tar a mass market vehicle with it.
I like my 3 row y. It works. But I wouldn’t buy a longer one for the sake of having a longer one, I’d buy an ev9 or id.buzz
I’m waiting for the Model Y Tho?
I’m holding out for Y The F
That rear view looks very…unfortunate. Maybe the verticalish lower two thirds is necessary to give it some measure of cargo volume when the third row seats are in use.
Also, that black cross-stripe ¿spoiler? feature thing at the base of the rear glass and extending to either side does look like it matches with the stub showing in the front three quarter view, but I can’t reconcile either one with the side view.
Long Ys? Do they at least come with guilles boope?
Out of curiosity, I looked, and you can get a 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV 450+ with under 30k miles for around $45k.
An even longer pregnant porpise! Hooray! 😛