Tesla is getting ready to launch sales of its Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) built at Giga Shanghai in South Korea.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Tesla Korea, the local unit of the Texas-based automaker, this week secured an environmental certificate for the Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) manufactured in Shanghai, China. The ministry’s certification process is a required before an automaker can sell their vehicles in Korea.
The certified Model Y RWD for the Korean market will feature lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries supplied by China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL). In Korea, Tesla’s Model Y Long Range, equipped with a lithium-ion battery, is priced at approximately ₩78,747,000 ($81,000 CAD), which is 25% higher than the equivalent model available in China, according to Pulse News.
Given that gap, local reports suggest that the Model Y RWD, which is eligible for state subsidies, will be priced at around ₩57 million ($58,600 CAD) in Korea. Tesla used to offer the Model Y Standard Range when it first launched Model Y sales in the country in 2021, but abruptly removed the vehicle from the Design Studio a few days later. Prior to it being pulled, it was priced at ₩59,990,000 ($61,700 CAD).
Tesla’s decision to launch Model Y RWD sales from Giga Shanghai in South Korea follows the same decision made for the Canadian market. Last month Tesla added the Model Y RWD to the Canadian Design studio, pricing it below the threshold to qualify for the $5,000 federal rebate. Under the program, this also allowed the Model Y Long Range to qualify for the incentive. The first shipment of cars has already arrived from China, with some of those cars finding their way to existing inventory, while a second shipment is currently on its way to Canada from Shanghai.
