Tesla made a couple of changes to its online configurator on Monday night, changing up the free colour option for the Model 3 and Model Y in Canada and the US, also removing a wheel option for Model 3, but only for buyers in Canada.
Paint Options
Back in late 2021 Tesla made Midnight Silver Metallic one of the standard colour choices on the Model 3 and Model Y, but only in the US. That change came about after CEO Elon Musk said he would consider a change to the paint options after a request from Frunk Puppy creator Earl. That change didn’t last long with white returning as the free colour choice on both EVs, and Midnight Silver Metallic going back to a C$1,300/US$1,000 option.
A year and a half later and Tesla has again made Midnight Silver the standard colour choice on the Model 3 and Model Y, but this time the change is effective for both Canada and the US. Those who still want white will now have to pay C1,300/US$1,000.
There have been no similar changes to the paint options on the Model S and Model X.
Wheel Options
Another change that Tesla appears to have made last night affects only Model 3 buyers in Canada. According to the Design Studio the 19″ Sport wheels, previously a $2,000 upgrade, are no longer an option for the entry-level Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) or Long Range variants, leaving the 18″ Aero wheels as the only way to configure your Model 3. Buyers have never been able to select the 19″ Sport wheels for the Performance variant.
It is unclear why Tesla has made this change, but the fact it has only impacted Canadian orders give us a potential clue. For the last few months Tesla has been importing the Model 3 and Model Y into Canada from China. That change in logistics also brought about some changes to what customers could order, like no seven-seat configuration for the Model Y, or white interiors for either the Model 3 or Model Y. Since the 19″ Sport wheels are still available on both configurations of the Model 3 in the US, this leads us to believe another supply issue from China could be behind the change.
Do either of these updates to the Design Studio change how you were going to configure your Model 3 or Model Y? Let us know in the comments below.
