Tesla has confirmed that production of the
all-electric Model Y has started and that the first examples will be delivered
by March 2020. The announcement was made in Tesla’s Q4 FY2019 report, Tech
Crunch reports. When Tesla first showcased the Model Y in prototype guise in
early 2019, it was targeting a production start date towards the end of 2020.
In October, 2019, Tesla pushed the Model Y’s planned production date forward to
the summer of 2020.
It remains unclear how Tesla has been able
to fast-track Model Y production so significantly but it represents a welcome
change from the company that has traditionally been hit with production delays
when launching its new models.
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk says
production of the Model Y will be limited for now and said the ramp-up in
production will be gradual. Initially, the Model Y will be built at the
company’s Fremont factory in California but from 2021, the Shanghai Gigafactory
will also start producing the marque’s entry-level SUV. In addition to pushing
production of the Model Y forward, the estimated range of the all-wheel drive
Model Y Long Range has jumped from 450 km to 507 km.
Musk believes the Model Y could outsell the Model 3, Model S, and
Model X combined.
