Model Y
Tesla sets yet another ambitious goal
Tesla won’t be able to capitalize on the popular compact crossover segment until November 2019. That’s when the automaker intends to start production on the Model Y, according to a new report.
Speaking with two unnamed sources, Reuters says the automaker will build the crossover in Fremont, California, starting in November of next year. Two years later, Tesla will start producing copies of the Model Y in China.
Tesla confirmed the addition of the Model Y back in 2016 and sent out a teaser image of the crossover the following year. It’s likely that the small crossover will borrow heavily from the Model 3, which would help Tesla achieve its ambitious timeline. According to the two sources who spoke with Reuters, Tesla could produce low volumes of the Model Y on the current Model 3 line, although producing more copies would probably require a new facility.
A Tesla spokesperson declined to comment to Motor Trend on the report. But Reuters says Tesla is now accepting preliminary bids for supplier contracts on the Model Y. It’s standard to nail down suppliers at least two years before starting production, so Tesla will have to move quickly to make its timeline.
In the meanwhile, Tesla is busy rolling out the Model 3. The automaker was building 2,020 copies of the small sedan a week by the end of the first quarter, which came short of its goal to make 2,500 copies. Tesla says production will increase rapidly in the coming three months, as it hopes to make 5,000 units a week by the conclusion of the second quarter, and things are expected to pick up even more in the third quarter. Other upcoming projects that could end up straining Tesla’s resources even more include a new semi-truck and a roadster.
