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Tesla’s new six-seat Model Y is creating plenty of buzz in China — but don’t expect to see it in the US anytime soon.
CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday that the Model Y L, an extended version of Tesla’s most popular vehicle with three rows of seats, might never arrive on American shores.
“This variant of the Model Y doesn’t start production in the US until the end of next year. Might not ever, given the advent of self-driving in America,” wrote Musk in a post on X.
The Model Y L, which adds new features including a rear row of foldable seats and powered armrests, went on sale for $47,200 in China on Tuesday. Its launch comes as Tesla battles fierce competition from local EV players like BYD, Xiaomi, and Xpeng.
Electric vehicle adoption in China is far higher than in the US, and Chinese companies have rapidly taken market share with a wave of affordable electric models packed with high-tech features, including autonomous driving and voice controls.
The Model Y, China’s best-selling SUV, is facing a number of new challengers. In June, smartphone giant-turned EV maker Xiaomi launched the YU7, an electric SUV priced just below the Model Y.
Xiaomi says the YU7 received nearly 300,000 preorders in an hour after it launched. EV startups Xpeng and Nio have also unveiled their own Model Y rivals in recent weeks.
In the US, where Chinese EVs are not available due to high tariffs, Tesla has increasingly focused on its robotaxi and ride-hailing services.
The company launched its first robotaxi service, which is currently invite-only, in Austin in June.
Musk has predicted that driverless vehicles will become the norm over the next decade, and told investors last October that building a regular non-robotaxi model would be “pointless.”
The last new product Tesla launched in the US was the Cybertruck, which has been a sales flop since it made its debut in 2023. The company has said it is planning to release an affordable model, which Musk has described as “just a Model Y,” in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.
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