Tesla has officially announced the Model Y refresh for the North American market. The debut of the new Model Y in Canada and the US comes exactly two weeks after it was first unveiled in China and several Asia-Pacific markets.
According to an update to the Design Studio on Thursday night, only the Long Range All-Wheel Drive (AWD) of the Model Y refresh is available for purchase in the limited edition ‘Launch Series.’
The most important aspect of the launch, especially for Canadian consumers, is pricing. In Canada the Long Range AWD variant is priced at C$84,990. This is a big jump, but it includes Full Self-Driving (FSD), which is priced at C$11,000, making it a net C$9,000 price increase from legacy pricing. As we all know, Tesla announced yesterday that Model Y pricing will be increasing by C$4,000 starting February 1, but it is unclear if that price increase will also apply to the new Model Y refresh.
Meanwhile in the US the Long Range AWD now starts at US$59,990, an net increase of US$4,000 compared to the legacy price.
As for specs, those have remained fairly consistent with slight increases in range estimates. The Long Range AWD can now travel an estimated 503km/320mi, compared to 501km/311mi previously when equipped with the standard 19″ Crossflow Wheels. Opting up for the 20″ Helix 2.0 Wheels, which are included in the price of the Launch Series, reduces the range to 484km/303mi, but that is considerably higher than a similarly equipped legacy Model Y with 20″ Induction Wheels, which delivered a range of 443km/280mi.
Unlike in China, Tesla did not introduce any new colours as Glacier Blue is missing from the online configurator in Canada and the US. Tesla has also limited the colour choices in North America to just Stealth Grey, Pearl White, Ultra Red, and Quicksilver, all of which are included in the base price of the Launch Series.
Interior options have remained the same with either All Black or Black and White to pick from. However, the Black and White interior, which typically costs an extra C$1,300/US$1,000, is included in the price of the Launch Series. The new Model Y refresh is also only available in a five seat configuration. The tow hitch can also be added at no cost.
As with China, the Launch Series includes some special badging, and also includes Acceleration Boost.
Despite the later launch compared to China, customers in Canada and the US won’t have to wait long to get behind the wheel of the refreshed Model Y. The online configurator indicates that deliveries for the RWD and AWD trims are set to begin in March, the same time frame provided abroad.
