Latest news with #Garage42
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla's budget Model Y just leaked – and it could cut these 3 features for a cheaper price tag
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A lack of panoramic glass roof and rear screen help cut costs Chinese automotive blogger snapped the disguised vehicles Cheaper Model Y is expected to go on sale in China later this year Elon Musk let the cat out of the bag when he revealed that the company was readying a cheaper alternative to the Model Y during Tesla's quarterly earnings call, putting an end to the rumors that the company was working on a standalone 'affordable' Tesla. Instead, the upcoming, simplified Model Y was touted to hold back on some of the additional niceties in pursuit of a cheaper sticker price. It appears that a popular Chinese blogger, dubbed Garage 42, has photographed some of the first budget Model Ys, with images and videos surfacing on Chinese social media site Weibo. Although heavily disguised under black cloth, the images show that these cars lack the large panoramic sunroof that makes the current generation Model Y feel so bright and airy. There's also a lack of infotainment display for rear passengers and the mammoth, full-width LED light bar has been removed from the front and rear. Currently, the cheapest Model Y in China starts at 250,000 yuan (around $34,750) but it is facing increasingly stiff competition from home-grown talent, with the Xiaomi SU7 and YU7 proving runaway sales successes. Car News China also points out that Xpeng, Li Auto, and Nio are all readying keenly-priced Model Y rivals in China for the second half of this year, which will continue to eat into potential Tesla sales. It is not known whether this trimmed-down Model Y will be sold in other markets in this form, but Tesla's sales are suffering on a global scale, so we'd expect to see a Model Y slot in somewhere between the current cheapest Model Y and the most expensive Model 3. Tesla doubles-down on autonomous driving Despite stripping back the Model Y in an attempt to boost sales, Elon Musk announced that Tesla recently signed a $16.5 billion deal with Samsung, which will see the Korean tech giant provide chip technology for upcoming generations of Tesla's hardware array. With the latest cars running Tesla's Hardware 4 (or HW4, for short), this deal will ensure the company has the latest and fastest chipset when its vehicles move to HW6 – seeing as HW5 is already contractually covered by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). With each new generation of semiconductor, Software Defined Vehicles (SDV) become more intelligent and more capable, boasting the sort of processing power required for advanced levels of autonomous driving. However, the news has irked many long-standing Tesla owners, as Elon Musk promised back in 2016 that even on version 2 of its hardware, all vehicles would be capable of full unsupervised self-driving – something the brand has yet to crack. There have been multiple attempts by owners to demand refunds for Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems over false advertising claims, which cost up to $15,000 on top of a car's list price at points. Tesla continues to promise more from its FSD systems, recently stating that "unsupervised" versions will come later this year. But with the company still investing so heavily in the next generation of computing, it has a number of critics skeptical about the true capabilities of Tesla's technology. You might also like I've driven the Xpeng G6 and it doesn't hide its main ambition – stealing the Tesla Model Y's crown Xiaomi's new Tesla-rivaling SUV has a cockpit-style panoramic windshield display and can charge in just 12 minutes More bad news for Tesla – Xiaomi's new Model Y rival beats it on price and just smashed pre-order records
The Advertiser
29-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
'Budget' Tesla Model Y spied: How EV brand will get the price down
A more affordable Tesla Model Y – codenamed E41 – has been spied in China, and while it's heavily camouflaged we can see what has been stripped out to bring the price down. Images shared on Chinese social media reveal many of the changes that have been made. Starting with the exterior, the full-width front light bar is gone, as is the panoramic glass roof. The full-width lighting element at the rear is expected to be another cost-cutting casualty. An exterior photo shared by Geek Piggy also shows an attractive set of black alloy wheels. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Inside, images published by Garage 42 on Weibo show the 8.0-inch rear screen that arrived with this year's 'Juniper' update has unsurprisingly been scrapped. However, there's a new centre console design that appears to not continue to the dashboard, allowing front-seat occupants to cross from one side of the vehicle to the other. There still appears to be dual wireless phone chargers, but they're mounted lower. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed a new, more affordable vehicle that entered production in the US in June was "just a Model Y", which suggests this E41 Model Y will be produced in both China and the US. The US-built vehicle will go on sale there later this year. According to recent Reuters report, the Chinese-built E41 will enter mass production in 2026 and will be at least 20 per cent more affordable to produce. Unusually, the report also made note of the vehicle being smaller than the regular Model Y. All Teslas sold in Australia are sourced from China. The Model Y lineup currently opens in China at 263,500 RMB (~A$56,300), making it slightly cheaper than in Australia where it opens at $58,900. However, it's still 10,000 RMB (~A$2100) more expensive than the most affordable Xiaomi YU7. ABOVE: Tesla Model YL Tesla is feeling the heat in China from a raft of brands, including recent entrant Xiaomi with its hot-selling YU7, as well as more established – if still young – automotive brands like Xpeng, Nio and Li Auto. The company is therefore giving the Model Y – the world's best-selling car in 2023 – more attention, with a facelift earlier this year, this new more affordable variant, and the stretched Model YL three-row SUV. The Model Y comfortably remains Australia's best-selling electric vehicle (EV), and the arrival of the Juniper facelift has helped halt a sales slide. MORE: Everything Tesla Model Y Content originally sourced from: A more affordable Tesla Model Y – codenamed E41 – has been spied in China, and while it's heavily camouflaged we can see what has been stripped out to bring the price down. Images shared on Chinese social media reveal many of the changes that have been made. Starting with the exterior, the full-width front light bar is gone, as is the panoramic glass roof. The full-width lighting element at the rear is expected to be another cost-cutting casualty. An exterior photo shared by Geek Piggy also shows an attractive set of black alloy wheels. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Inside, images published by Garage 42 on Weibo show the 8.0-inch rear screen that arrived with this year's 'Juniper' update has unsurprisingly been scrapped. However, there's a new centre console design that appears to not continue to the dashboard, allowing front-seat occupants to cross from one side of the vehicle to the other. There still appears to be dual wireless phone chargers, but they're mounted lower. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed a new, more affordable vehicle that entered production in the US in June was "just a Model Y", which suggests this E41 Model Y will be produced in both China and the US. The US-built vehicle will go on sale there later this year. According to recent Reuters report, the Chinese-built E41 will enter mass production in 2026 and will be at least 20 per cent more affordable to produce. Unusually, the report also made note of the vehicle being smaller than the regular Model Y. All Teslas sold in Australia are sourced from China. The Model Y lineup currently opens in China at 263,500 RMB (~A$56,300), making it slightly cheaper than in Australia where it opens at $58,900. However, it's still 10,000 RMB (~A$2100) more expensive than the most affordable Xiaomi YU7. ABOVE: Tesla Model YL Tesla is feeling the heat in China from a raft of brands, including recent entrant Xiaomi with its hot-selling YU7, as well as more established – if still young – automotive brands like Xpeng, Nio and Li Auto. The company is therefore giving the Model Y – the world's best-selling car in 2023 – more attention, with a facelift earlier this year, this new more affordable variant, and the stretched Model YL three-row SUV. The Model Y comfortably remains Australia's best-selling electric vehicle (EV), and the arrival of the Juniper facelift has helped halt a sales slide. MORE: Everything Tesla Model Y Content originally sourced from: A more affordable Tesla Model Y – codenamed E41 – has been spied in China, and while it's heavily camouflaged we can see what has been stripped out to bring the price down. Images shared on Chinese social media reveal many of the changes that have been made. Starting with the exterior, the full-width front light bar is gone, as is the panoramic glass roof. The full-width lighting element at the rear is expected to be another cost-cutting casualty. An exterior photo shared by Geek Piggy also shows an attractive set of black alloy wheels. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Inside, images published by Garage 42 on Weibo show the 8.0-inch rear screen that arrived with this year's 'Juniper' update has unsurprisingly been scrapped. However, there's a new centre console design that appears to not continue to the dashboard, allowing front-seat occupants to cross from one side of the vehicle to the other. There still appears to be dual wireless phone chargers, but they're mounted lower. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed a new, more affordable vehicle that entered production in the US in June was "just a Model Y", which suggests this E41 Model Y will be produced in both China and the US. The US-built vehicle will go on sale there later this year. According to recent Reuters report, the Chinese-built E41 will enter mass production in 2026 and will be at least 20 per cent more affordable to produce. Unusually, the report also made note of the vehicle being smaller than the regular Model Y. All Teslas sold in Australia are sourced from China. The Model Y lineup currently opens in China at 263,500 RMB (~A$56,300), making it slightly cheaper than in Australia where it opens at $58,900. However, it's still 10,000 RMB (~A$2100) more expensive than the most affordable Xiaomi YU7. ABOVE: Tesla Model YL Tesla is feeling the heat in China from a raft of brands, including recent entrant Xiaomi with its hot-selling YU7, as well as more established – if still young – automotive brands like Xpeng, Nio and Li Auto. The company is therefore giving the Model Y – the world's best-selling car in 2023 – more attention, with a facelift earlier this year, this new more affordable variant, and the stretched Model YL three-row SUV. The Model Y comfortably remains Australia's best-selling electric vehicle (EV), and the arrival of the Juniper facelift has helped halt a sales slide. MORE: Everything Tesla Model Y Content originally sourced from: A more affordable Tesla Model Y – codenamed E41 – has been spied in China, and while it's heavily camouflaged we can see what has been stripped out to bring the price down. Images shared on Chinese social media reveal many of the changes that have been made. Starting with the exterior, the full-width front light bar is gone, as is the panoramic glass roof. The full-width lighting element at the rear is expected to be another cost-cutting casualty. An exterior photo shared by Geek Piggy also shows an attractive set of black alloy wheels. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Inside, images published by Garage 42 on Weibo show the 8.0-inch rear screen that arrived with this year's 'Juniper' update has unsurprisingly been scrapped. However, there's a new centre console design that appears to not continue to the dashboard, allowing front-seat occupants to cross from one side of the vehicle to the other. There still appears to be dual wireless phone chargers, but they're mounted lower. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently confirmed a new, more affordable vehicle that entered production in the US in June was "just a Model Y", which suggests this E41 Model Y will be produced in both China and the US. The US-built vehicle will go on sale there later this year. According to recent Reuters report, the Chinese-built E41 will enter mass production in 2026 and will be at least 20 per cent more affordable to produce. Unusually, the report also made note of the vehicle being smaller than the regular Model Y. All Teslas sold in Australia are sourced from China. The Model Y lineup currently opens in China at 263,500 RMB (~A$56,300), making it slightly cheaper than in Australia where it opens at $58,900. However, it's still 10,000 RMB (~A$2100) more expensive than the most affordable Xiaomi YU7. ABOVE: Tesla Model YL Tesla is feeling the heat in China from a raft of brands, including recent entrant Xiaomi with its hot-selling YU7, as well as more established – if still young – automotive brands like Xpeng, Nio and Li Auto. The company is therefore giving the Model Y – the world's best-selling car in 2023 – more attention, with a facelift earlier this year, this new more affordable variant, and the stretched Model YL three-row SUV. The Model Y comfortably remains Australia's best-selling electric vehicle (EV), and the arrival of the Juniper facelift has helped halt a sales slide. MORE: Everything Tesla Model Y Content originally sourced from:
