TESLA

New Model Y Juniper sightings tip pilot production start as Tesla hints at a cheaper pricing

The rumor that Tesla has started pilot Model Y Juniper production may hold water in the end, as the test mule sightings with subtle design differences are piling up.

In its Q3 investor presentation update, Tesla says that it is preparing to launch new vehicles, "including more affordable models," in a quarter or two.

Given that it already announced the Robotaxi as its cheapest vehicle and Elon Musk said that this will be Tesla's $25,000 car with no Model 2 in the pipeline, those "more affordable" cars coming in H1 of 2025 could simply be price cuts of existing models, or introducing cheaper trims.

Tesla's lead engineer Lars Moravy confirmed so during the last quarterly call, too, saying that they are now focused on cutting production costs of its current vehicles, so whatever new trims or facelifts Tesla brings in 2025, could be priced lower than their predecessors.

Since chief among the expected new Tesla vehicles next year are the Model Y Juniper refresh and the RWD Cybertruck, that's what Tesla and Lars might be referring to when they say there will be new, cheaper models next year.

In the case of the RWD Cybertruck, the lower price is a given, considering that it was announced as the cheapest trim from the very beginning. Tesla, however, started with the most expensive Foundation Series trims, and only recently moved to ship the regular AWD version that costs under $80,000. Thus, a RWD Cybertruck may not come at the initially promised $40,000 price point, but it may very well start from the $60,000 mark, given that Tesla said it is now beginning to turn a profit on the Cybertruck.

Model Y Juniper price...A potential lowering of the Model Y Juniper price would be trickier to explain, though. The facelift is expected to offer a larger, 95 kWh battery, a HW4 set of cameras and computer, as well as numerous design upgrades such as a rear light bar and ambient lighting.

Tesla, however, is nothing but skilled when it comes to cost-cutting and removing component redundancies, so it might have designed the Juniper refresh with lower manufacturing costs in mind from the very beginning. Whether it would be introducing more efficient 800V powertrain and 48V low-voltage systems that will allow it to save on cabling, like it did with the Cybertruck, or put what Elon Musk said will be the cheapest 4680 battery in the Juniper refresh, it has numerous ways to achieve a lower price.

In any case, the Model Y Juniper refresh release is nearing as the test mule sightings keep piling up. After being spotted swerving in traffic nearby Tesla's HQ in the US, then snapped in Europe, multiple camouflaged units have now been seen in China. Recently, local insiders from Tesla's Gigafactory in Shanghai claimed that Tesla will be starting trial Juniper production of about 12 units a day on October 22 there. The numerous sightings of what seems to be test mules in camo only come to confirm that tip.

The Chinese models, presumably coming from the pilot line at Giga Shanghai as there is a literal truckload of them, display subtle design differences with the test mules spotted in the US or Europe. The license plate is bolted to the tailgate instead of the bumper as in previous sightings, for instance, and the headlights seem larger, protruding further into the bumper.

On the other hand, the Chinese Juniper model does seem to have the rear light bar pressing against the camo tarp at the rear, and the white seats seem to be styled after the Model 3 Highland refresh interior, just as rumored. There is also a laptop, seemingly open for vehicle testing purposes at the passenger seat on one of the pictures, indicating that these may indeed be the first Model Y Juniper mules coming from the trial production line at Giga Shanghai.

China is said to receive different versions of the Juniper refresh, too, including a six-seater tailored to local tastes, so that could explain the subtle design alterations compared to the prototypes spotted in the US or Europe. Given all these sightings, the Model Y Juniper may very well be released as soon as next quarter, just as rumored.

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