Tesla Model Y SUV due by 2019

Published On: 16 March 2017
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The company plans to sell 5,00,000 units of the Model 3 and the Model Y a year.

The Model Y is based on the same underpinnings as the upcoming Model 3.

Tesla Inc is in for a very busy period - it will be releasing two brand new cars over the next couple of years. One of the models, titled the Model 3, has been highly anticipated for a long time. An entry-level crossover of the same platform will be released alongside, known as the Model Y. The starting price of the Model 3 is around $37,000 (₹24.35 lakh approx), however Elon Musk expects the price will rise as buyers will definitely add options to their respective cars. The Model Y will, however, be priced a little higher.

It is highly improbable that the Model Y will be unveiled anytime before late next year. Though not many of the specifications are known, the car will borrow the top-hinged ‘falcon wing’ rear doors from the bigger Model X SUV. It is expected to be Tesla's best seller - around seven million crossovers of all types were sold in the USA last year. Musk even tweeted that the Model 3 will remain a priority.

Tesla is also aiming at providing full autonomous driving facility in the Model Y and has promised to deliver the advanced electrical architecture. The facility will be provided as an add-on for both entry-level Teslas. Future Tesla cars will come equipped with as many as eight cameras, giving it a 360-degree view, as well as 12 ultrasonic sensors and a ‘new’ forward-facing radar that works in the worst weather conditions. The present radar tends to falter during rain or fog.

Supporting all of this will be a 'brain' that Musk said is a super-computer 40 times more powerful than all previous Teslas. But, to power effectively through all of this, Tesla will have to find a capable battery that gives it decent range. The entry-level Model 3 has a cheaper, sub-60kWh battery but will still need to have a range of at least 370km. The Model Y's curt structure suggests space for a bigger battery for the same range, so expect an increase in price.

For Tesla to fulfil all it has promised will be cutting it very close. The company has spent close to $2 billion since 2010 in the battery-making Gigfactory and in all other major car production. With over 4,00,000 deposits taken for the Model 3, the company is looking to produce well over 1,00,000 of the car before the end of the year.

What Tesla aims to do in the next few years will measure the company's associated supply chain even further. The profit it will make from these sales could help cement the company's future.