Andy Nurman
December 27, 2023
Electric vehicle maker Tesla is planning a substantial refresh of its popular Model Y crossover SUV that will enter production at its Shanghai Gigafactory by mid-2024, Bloomberg reported earlier today.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said the revamped Model Y, codenamed “Project Juniper,” will get an updated exterior design bringing it closer in appearance to the recently refreshed Model 3 Highland sedan. The interior will also likely see a redesigned dashboard, rear touchscreen and the addition of Tesla’s latest user interface software.
The Model Y quickly became best-selling car globally thanks to its competitive pricing and value proposition, starting at around $44,000 in the U.S. The Juniper refresh aims to maintain the vehicle’s strong sales momentum as rivalry intensifies in the EV market.
As previously reported by Reuters, Tesla was targeting an October 2024 production start for the redesigned Model Y. This timeline seems to be accelerated now.
The China-built Model Y refresh follows a recent strategy by Tesla to tailor vehicles specifically for the Chinese market. This includes the Model 3 Highland Edition sedan which was designed at Tesla’s China studio.
With competition heating up from Chinese automakers’ new electric lineups, the Model Y refresh represents Tesla’s efforts to keep its products innovative and compelling. More details on the changes and features of the Juniper Model Y will likely emerge over the next months as its launch nears.
