Elon Musk has set a date for the reveal of Tesla’s next vehicle, the Model Y. That date is supposedly March 15, 2019, after a curious and inquisitive Tesla Twitter fan tweeted Mr. Musk himself about the new model. Musk replied “March 15,” relating that date to the Roman calendar’s Ides of March.
“I just made that up, because the Ides of March sounded good,” Musk initially tweeted, only to reply to his own tweet: “But consider it real. We could unveil Model Y anytime from late this year to mid next year, so March 15 is about right.”
March 15
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2018
But consider it real. We could unveil Model Y anytime from late this year to mid next year, so March 15 is about right.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2018
Despite the barrage of negative press, along with delays in Tesla’s Model 3 production, liability and safety woes with Autopilot, and financial troubles, it seems the company still plans to continue introducing new models.
For some time now, we’ve known about Tesla’s next up and coming vehicle, temporarily and unofficially dubbed the “Model Y.” It’s supposed to be a new compact all-electric crossover that sits below the larger, more expensive Model X, as the company seeks to take advantage of the hot crossover SUV boom.
According to what Musk shared on previous earnings calls, the new Model Y will get its own bespoke platform to any Tesla models preceding it, featuring a “completely different” architecture. Some information suggests Tesla might be reconsidering this new bespoke platform due to cost and ease of production, in favor of the preexisting Model 3 architecture.
According to a report from The Verge, the new Model Y will also ditch the traditional car-based 12-volt battery system in favor of a completely new, redesigned network that is said to simplify production and require less wiring. The new system supposedly requires only 328 feet of wiring in assembly and construction, compared to the current Model 3’s 5,000 feet worth of wiring and the Model S, with its 10,000 feet connecting all of its systems.
In that same report, Musk said Tesla intends to begin Model Y production sometime in late 2019. Given that Tesla has developed a reputation for missing deadlines, however, some are saying to take this date with a grain of salt. So far, the company only released a teaser photo of what the new car could possibly look like.
