Tesla has started reintroducing the white interior option for the Model Y in Canada. The option is so far only available on Model Y vehicles in existing inventory, but this is a good sign that it will hopefully be added back to the online configurator soon.
Back in April Tesla introduced the Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) variant to Canada. This entry-level variant is made at Giga Shanghai, and marked the first time Tesla had exported cars from China into Canada. Soon after we realized this was part of a larger change in Tesla’s logistics in that they are now only selling Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in Canada originating from China. The reason for this change is that the automaker wants to reserve all of the inventory built at Fremont for the US market in order to take advantage of the federal tax credits.
The switch to imported vehicles from China also brought with it a number of other changes, like a slightly lower range on some models, but also the inability to order a new Model 3 or Model Y with a white interior.
While the $1,300 option has not been added back to the Design Studio for either vehicle, the white interior is now available on Model Y vehicles in existing inventory. Based on a review by Drive Tesla, we were able to find three examples in western Canada. There appears to be no inventory at all, with either black or white interiors, in the eastern part of the country.
There was this 2023 Model Y Long Range in Vancouver listed as a new vehicle and “coming soon” for $72,560, a $730 discount off the regular price (don’t forget a referral code will give you another $650 off, plus three months of Full Self-Driving (FSD)). The same discounts could be seen on Model Y Long Range vehicles with the white interior in Calgary and Edmonton. (h/t: @ShaylanStein)
We know these are Chinese-built vehicles because of the lower range ratings and the VIN that appears in the URL, with LRW (and not 5YJ) indicating it originates from Giga Shanghai.
UPDATE Aug 11 9:55am PT: Several more Model Ys with white interiors have been added to existing inventory, including some in eastern Canada. There are currently seven available in Vancouver, two in Calgary, three in Edmonton, seven in Toronto, and two in Montreal/Ottawa.
As we mentioned, the black interior is still the only option on the Design Studio for all variants of both the Model 3 and Model Y, but hopefully with this slow reintroduction of white interiors we will see it added back soon.
While the white interior option has reappeared, there is still no sign of the 7-seat option, which was also removed from the Design Studio earlier this year.
