Facelifted Tesla Model Y Nets 200,000 Orders In China In 2 Months

The first 50,000 orders were reportedly placed within the first 24 hours from when this facelifted Model Y was first announced. 

While Tesla sales are experiencing a somewhat drastic decline globally, the American EV manufacturer still seems to be doing steady business in China. This is especially evident as pre-orders for its newly-refreshed Model Y have recently been reported to have topped 200,000 units already, in just exactly two months since bookings began there on January 10th.

This 200,000 order figure comes after Tesla reportedly received 50,000 bookings for the refreshed Model Y in the first 24 hours since it debuted in China. Tesla sales staff have further previously indicated that Beijing stores consistently secured around 100 new daily orders in the lead-up to deliveries, though it is worth noting that many of these were refundable pre-orders.

Looking at the combined figures for the first two months of this year, Tesla sold 93,926 China-made vehicles, down a substantial 28.7% from 131,812 units in the same period last year. Deliveries of the newly-facelifted Model Y nevertheless only began on February 26, thus the figure to watch before gauging the automaker’s fortune in China will be what is announced for the upcoming month.

In the first week after deliveries started, more than 6,000 units of the updated Model Y had already been handed over to buyers in China. The launch lineup over there comprised of two variants: a standard-range rear-wheel-drive version starting at 263,500 yuan (RM 160,000) and a long-range all-wheel-drive trim costing from 303,500 yuan (RM 185,000).

Delivery lead times for the refreshed Model Y currently vary by variant in China. Those who desire the rear-wheel-drive version are set to wait about 2-4 weeks before getting their new car, while the wait for a long-range all-wheel-drive variant seems to stretch to 6-10 weeks.

Now aside from the big news of its Model Y refresh, Tesla had also rolled out a software update in China on February 25 that finally unlocks some form of supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) capability. Its own local sales staff however are apparently advising customers against immediately purchasing the 64,000 yuan (RM 40,000) package, due to it not being optimised for Chinese roads, as well as the imminent possibility of it being offered as a more cost-effective monthly subscription option.

Looking ahead, Tesla is also reportedly prioritising the introduction of the Cybertruck in China, despite regulatory hurdles. While pickup trucks remain a niche market in the country, the bold and futuristic design of this polarising pickup is currently pegged by the brand as being the thing to increase its brand appeal among younger consumers.

Getting back to the Model Y meanwhile and mentioning Malaysia for a bit, this newly-refreshed all-electric crossover has already been launched locally, with first deliveries set to begin sometime next month. As with China, two variants are currently available over here. The Standard Range Rear-Wheel Drive is currently priced at RM 195,450, while the Long Range All-Wheel Drive has a price tag of RM 242,450 attached to its name.

The technical specs of both variants are as follows: