Tesla unveils Model Y Juniper

Tesla has kept its word: After the revised version of the Model Y, codenamed Juniper – with a view to the Model 3 Highland unveiled at the end of 2023 – was already expected for 2024, Tesla announced that there would be no new Model Y that year. As soon as 2024 was over, not only uncamouflaged prototypes of the Model Y Juniper were spotted: Tesla has published photos and info about the new model on its Chinese website.

As expected, Tesla is now bringing many of the features of the Model 3 Highland to the Model Y. These include improvements to the acoustics, which should lead to a quieter interior. There is now also ambient lighting and an additional screen for rear-seat passengers. There will also be new seats, including a ventilation function, and the rear seat backrests now fold down electrically. A steering wheel with the look of the new Model 3 is also installed in the Juniper Model Y, but probably with one (for many people decisive) change: in some shots of the interior, classic indicator levers can be seen, which have been replaced by steering wheel buttons in the Model 3 Highland.

Tesla is still holding back on technical details. It is only said that the Model Y Juniper will be more efficient and have more power. The efficiency can only be deduced from the range figures: For the Model Y Long Range with all-wheel drive and 19-inch rims, Tesla now states 719 kilometres according to the Chinese cycle CLTC; previously, it was 688 kilometres. It is not known whether this is achieved purely through efficiency measures on the drive or a slightly larger battery. After 4.5 years of construction, the improvement is relatively small on the one hand. On the other hand, the Model Y was already one of the more efficient models in its class before the facelift.

There is no information yet on charging performance. With the Model 3 Highland, there were no significant changes to the familiar ‘Tesla charging curve,’ which starts with a high peak at a very low charge level and then drops off almost linearly. According to the information from China, however, the 400-volt system will remain in place, which means that the maximum charging power (with the usual Tesla current of more than 500 amps) will likely remain at 250 kW.

The Model Y Juniper can accelerate better. Although the increase in performance has not yet been communicated, the all-wheel-drive Model Y is now expected to achieve the standard sprint from a standstill to 100 kph in 4.3 seconds instead of 4.9 seconds. That would indicate a significant increase in performance, as 0.6 seconds are not saved with a few extra kilowatts. However, improved control of the all-wheel drive could also improve traction and thus shorten the sprint time without needing more power.

According to a regulatory filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Tesla will offer two single-motor variants of the facelifted Model Y and one dual-motor version. The former is powered by LFP batteries with an energy content of 62.5 kWh supplied by CATL. These model variants offer a peak power of 220 kW. The dual-motor variant comes with a front motor with a peak power of 137 kW, while the rear motor offers up to 194 kW – so a total output of 331 kW. In this case, the Model Y uses lithium ternary batteries with an energy content of 78.4 kWh, which are supplied by LG Energy Solution.

That increases the energy content of the LFP battery by around 2.5 kWh larger compared to before and by 1.4 kWh in the case of the NMC battery. The output of 220 kW corresponds exactly to the value of the known Model Y with an LFP battery since 2022. The all-wheel drive version was previously specified with 378 kW, although in the case of electric cars, there can be significant differences between the peak output that can be achieved for a short time and the output over ten seconds, one minute or 30 minutes. It would explain the difference when different time periods are used to determine the power output.

The chassis has also been revised. It should now enable ‘smoother driving’ – also analogue to the Model 3 Highland, but specifically adapted to the SUV. To this end, the spring units have been adapted, and new wheel/tyre combinations have been installed. This is intended to remedy one of the points of criticism, the sometimes bumpy rolling behaviour.

A performance version is not available at the launch of the Model Y Juniper, but Tesla only introduced this a little later with the revised Model 3 – also with minor changes to the appearance.

The design is the first thing that catches the eye with the Juniper version: Tesla has fundamentally revised the look of its bestseller, even if the familiar curved roofline of the Model Y remains. However, instead of adapting the design of the SUV to the Model 3 Highland, Tesla has modelled it on the Cybertruck and the Cybercab. At the front, there are extremely narrow headlight units and a continuous LED light strip. Based on a few prototype images, it could still be surmised that the Model Y would have two-part headlights. It is now clear that the fog lights have been moved upwards a little, which explains the openings in the camouflage film. However, the main headlights appear to be integrated into the narrow LEDs and are not hidden in a separate unit underneath, as is the case with Xpeng or Nio. These brands are often used in social networks to compare the new design.

There is also a continuous light strip at the rear – this time in contrast to the Model 3. Although the rear lights themselves are modelled on the Highland, they are connected by an optical element.

Once again, regarding the indicator lever, the subject of much discussion on the internet, it is striking that the steering column lever can only be seen in photos of the right-hand drive version for markets such as Hong Kong. In the pictures of the Chinese version with the steering wheel on the left-hand side, no lever can be seen – at least on the right-hand side of the steering column. This suggests that the gear selector lever (and the autopilot) has indeed been removed, but a simple indicator lever is still fitted on the left.

Another important new feature: a camera is now integrated into the redesigned front bumper. Previously, the Model Y did not have a front camera in the bumper, but only in the interior mirror unit. A 360-degree view was previously not possible, so the image was not as accurate when parking because there was no information from directly in front of the vehicle. The Juniper models should thus offer a more precise image thanks to the new camera and provide more accurate data, for example, when parking.

The Juniper model is not yet listed on the German Tesla website; the pictures and data of the known version are still available here. There is a simple reason why the Model Y Juniper will first be available in China and other Asian markets: these will be served from Giga Shanghai, where production of the Juniper model has reportedly already started. For a premiere in Europe and the US, the factories there must first be converted, which is expected in the coming weeks and months.

electrek.co, teslamag.de, cnevpost.com, tesla.cn, cnevpost.com (regulatory filing)