Tesla Model Y: beautiful new Midnight Silver prototype spotted

The floodgates of Tesla Model Y prototype sightings have opened and today, and we’ve got a look at a beautiful new Midnight Silver Model Y prototype spotted in California.

In March, Tesla unveiled the Model Y, an all-electric crossover with up to 300 miles of range.

The automaker said that it plans to bring the vehicle to production in fall 2020.

We recently learned that Tesla is working on a fifth assembly line at the Fremont factory as the automaker is preparing the production of its fifth electric vehicle.

Earlier this month, a Model Y prototype was spotted being tested around Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto and since then, there has been a more steady stream of Model Y sightings.

Yesterday, we reported on a bunch of Tesla Model Y vehicles with new wheels spotted on a carrier near the factory.

Now one more Tesla Model Y prototype was spotted testing in California (via Mario Borisov on Faceboook):

The beautiful new Model Y prototype has a Midnight Silver paint job, a chrome delete, and it is equipped with Tesla’s new ‘Power Sports’ aero wheels.

We recently reported on a closer look at Tesla’s new Sports aerodynamic wheels, which the automaker has so far only offered on the Model 3 in China.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla seems to be ramping up its Model Y testing on public roads.

There have been several rumors since Tesla unveiled the Model Y that the automaker is planning to start production sooner than originally announced (September to December 2020), but there’s no serious evidence that it is the case.

It’s normal for Tesla to conduct road testing around a year ahead of production.

I’d be surprised if Tesla starts volume production ahead of time considering the current bottlenecks in Model 3 production.

Though Tesla could announce a fix for the main one, battery supply, at Tesla’s ‘Battery and Powertrain Investor Day’ early next year.

For now, I think it’s better to expect a fall 2020 to spring 2021 Model Y rollout.

Tesla will need Model Y next year to keep its exceptional growth going, but mostly in the second half of the year.

I think the made-in-China Model 3 at Gigafactory 3 is going to be the biggest factor for Tesla’s growth in the first half of the year.