Tesla's chief executive Elon Musk has given a sneak-peek preview of its upcoming Model Y small SUV, as Tesla prepares to deliver its most affordable vehicle yet, the Model 3 electric saloon. During the company's annual shareholders' meeting, Musk released a teaser image of the Model Y, which is expected to be available in the 2019-2020 time-frame. The shared teaser image, which is the only image available at the moment, shows the outline of the car.
Musk said the Model Y would use a new platform building on the improvements made to existing models - which is a surprise, as the Model Y was expected to share the platform of the Model 3, and build on its strengths, to keep costs in check. However, lots of parts would be shared with the Model 3 though, and few features like the gull-wing doors could be shared with the more expensive premium models from Tesla's line-up.
Elon Musk also mentioned that the Model Y would play an important role in helping Tesla manufacture 1 million cars by 2020. And the Tesla's factory is also said to go through a massive upgrade to make the production process more efficient and hence reduce production time. This could probably be learning from Tesla's highly complex Model X SUV that had a delay of nearly 18 months before it finally hit the market.
Though the teaser image does not reveal much, it gives an idea about the outline of the car, and immediately notable are the missing outer rear view mirrors. More details of the Model Y may be revealed at the launch of Tesla's Semi truck in September this year.
And about Tesla's unconventional model names, interestingly, with the Model Y joining the Model S, Model 3 and Model X in the Tesla's portfolio, the line-up now is "S3XY".
