Tesla has told employees to communicate to buyers that there’s no Model Y refresh coming this year.
After the Model 3 refresh launched last year, there have been many rumors about a Model Y refresh to follow.
It started last year with a Reuters report that claimed Tesla was planning a Model Y refresh called Juniper to come out in 2024.
More recently, a Bloomberg report added that Tesla planned to release a Model Y refresh in “mid-2024”.
The reports have led buyers to often ask Tesla about whether or not there’s a refresh of Model Y coming before they go ahead with their purchase, as Tesla now feels the need to squash the rumors.
Tesla has sent new “talking points” to its sales staff to let them know there’s “no refresh for Model Y launching this year”:
We heard your feedback that some customers are waiting to place their Model Y order as they anticipate a refresh similar to Model 3. It is important that we communicate transparently that there is no refresh for Model Y launching this year.
Teslascope obtained the full note sent to staff:
Tesla sales employees are often kept in the dark about product updates, but now the automaker is obviously incentivized to make it clear there’s no update coming, which encourages people to pull the trigger now.
Electrek’s Take
Top comment by FC
Didn’t they say there was no S/X refresh in the works, then say the same about a 3 refresh? Personally it’s a bit odd they would need to wait long to implement the very minor changes in the Model 3 to the Y. I suspect they are going to go further with improvements to the Y to keep it fresher for longer than the Highland update can do much for the Model 3’s sales. I’m also curious if widespread hatred for the revised 3’s removed stalks and overall minor improvements that brought no new battery cells, motors, or even features (other than the dumb light bar around the interior) were determined to be not enough change to keep the Y fresh in the face of new rivals launching over the next 12-24 months. IMO, Tesla needs an all new 3 and by 2026 an all new Y. The Germans and Koreans offer much more feature rich vehicles with many new models charging substantially faster and offering better performance than the Y while also being more comfortable, quieter, and overall much nicer to spend long periods behind the wheel or as a passenger.
There are a few things that might be happening here. The reports from Bloomberg and Reuters might have been completely wrong.
It’s a possibility, but Tesla could also be stretching the truth. In the past, Tesla has had difficulties calling updates to its vehicles “refreshes”. The automaker is known not to use new “model year” vehicle updates like most automakers do. Instead, Tesla incorporates vehicle upgrades into its manufacturing whenever it is ready to do so.
Therefore, it’s possible that Tesla is planning significant upgrades to the Model Y this year, but it doesn’t consider that they add up to a “refresh”.
But again, the report could also be wrong. Who knows?
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