Tesla has increased the price of the Model Y in China again, marking the third time it has increased prices in China in two weeks, and the fourth time in the last month. This time the price increase only affects one variant of the Model Y, whereas the previous price changes have impacted both the Model 3 and Model Y.
According to an update to Tesla’s Design Studio in China on Tuesday, the Model Y Long Range (LR) now starts at ¥304,400 (C$58,700/US$42,800), an increase of ¥2,000, or about C$392/US$281. There were no changes to prices of the Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) and Performance variants, with both still starting at ¥266,400 and ¥363,900 respectively.
As we noted this is the third price increase Tesla has implemented over the last two weeks, and the second time it has applied to the Model Y LR. On November 9 the LR variant started at ¥299,000 before the price was increased by ¥2,500. With today’s price increase, the Model Y LR is now ¥4,500 more expensive than it was two weeks ago.
Although Tesla has not provided a reason for this price increase (the last was said to be because of an increase in the cost of manufacturing), the small, incremental and successive increases are widely seen as a way to encourage potential buyers to pull the trigger and place an order before it gets even more expensive.
Before these price increases began, Tesla performed a slight refresh on the Model Y in China, updating some of the interior elements like a new dash material and adding RGB lighting to the dash. There was also a minor change to the exterior with new darker Gemini wheels and covers, which you can see in the image above.
