It’s official. The Tesla Model Y refresh, which is also known in the enthusiast community as “Project Juniper,” won’t make an appearance in the United States in 2024.
The news comes via Teslascope, which got a hold of an official message sent from Tesla to its delivery advisors, reading: “It is important that we communicate transparently that there is no refresh for Model Y launching this year.”
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The Model Y charges away unchanged in the U.S. until next year
Tesla's most popular car, the Model Y, will go through 2024 without major changes, according to a message sent by the company to its delivery advisors. That said, a facelifted Model Y might debut toward the end of this year in Europe and China, with the U.S. getting the refreshed crossover next year.
The company’s message to the employees who are responsible for keeping in touch with customers adds that “There is no better time [...] to start driving the world’s best-selling vehicle,” emphasizing that the Model Y is eligible for the $7,500 tax credit at the point of sale, as well as some temporary incentives.
The Model Y is Tesla’s most successful model, selling over 1.2 million units worldwide in 2023, and talk of a facelift was amplified after the refreshed Model 3 went on sale last year in Europe and later in North America.
A report from Bloomberg claimed that work is already underway at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory and that production of the facelifted Model Y is likely to begin toward the middle of 2024. That said, the first batches won’t make it to the United States, as the company has now confirmed, and will probably be made for the Chinese and European markets.
The move would be identical to the way Tesla handled the launch of the facelifted Model 3 “Highland” last year. Development of the upgraded electric sedan was headed by the company’s Chinese arm and the first deliveries were made on the Old Continent and in China, with the United States being among the last countries to get the new sedan.
The Tesla Model Y has been in production without major upgrades since 2020. It shares the same platform as the Model 3, and it’s expected that the upgrades brought to the crossover will be similar to those that made their way into the sedan: a slightly redesigned exterior, an improved suspension setup, acoustic glass all-around, and various other niceties.
The image at the top of this article is a render courtesy of 3D artist @LaMianDesign on X. It is not representative of the actual facelifted Tesla Model Y.
