Tesla’s Model Y is here. The compact fills a gaping hole in the company’s lineup, offering an entry-level all-EV crossover to join its nascent sibling, the Model 3 sedan, as an entry-level option for the budget-conscious.
Tesla didn’t begin focused on selling commuter cars, a self-styled American Volkswagen of the 21st century. It took the company a decade to get around to the Model 3—ordering became an option just last month—a daily driver with a 220-mile range, a puckish if austere personality, and limited frills.
The Model Y popped up just as the press coverage of the 3 diminished, keeping Tesla in the spotlight as an EV purveyor for the masses. You can sell 100 Models 3 or Y to one Roadster, and the blue-collar duo gives the American company a bit of market buoyancy against the coming deluge of Chinese-made budget EVs. Elon Musk likes to roll out the flash, but he knows which side of his bread the butter’s on.
The Y, like the 3, looks just fine. Again, the frills are limited. But they’re present, and include a glass roof, like the Model 3; surely the parts, like the platform, are crossover, too. The exterior does indeed distantly echo the VW Bug reboot, but also manages to lift a little upscale German sports influence for spice, and quote the Model X along the way.
Preempting the first question out of any EV tire-kicker’s mouth, the long-range version is appearing first—the variant features a 300-mile range—with a standard version following by a model year. Pricing begins at $39K.
