Tesla Unveils The New Model Y

Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to the stage yesterday at the Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, CA to unveil the latest model in the automaker’s lineup, the Model Y SUV. Following what seems to be the hottest trend in the automotive market, the Model Y is a crossover-sized SUV, but in true Tesla fashion, packs plenty of features into its small form.

With an expected starting price below $40,000, the Model Y could be the electric SUV America truly embraces, with the entire lineup of Y’s expected to fall between the standard range (230 miles) model’s $39,000 and the high performance model’s anticipated $73,000 price tag when you add all the bells and whistles. That’s certainly well within the budget of a higher percentage of domestic households than the awesome, but pricey, Model X, which starts at $78,000 and tops out a $140,000.

Curiously, the Model Y is already available for preorder now, with a note on the final page of the build process that says “Production is expected to begin late next year.” As mentioned in the video below, Tesla has been hit or miss when it comes to delivering new vehicles on time, but hopefully, after the company’s very public woes with ramping up Model 3 production to meet demand, they will be able to avoid the same pitfalls with the Model Y.

If you’re interested, you can now build your own Model Y on Tesla’s website, but as you might expect, the process isn’t as in-depth (though some might view it as less tedious) as your typical build-your-own sites from other manufacturers. With only a few options available, the process is quick and painless and you can actually place your order right there on the site.

Time will tell how the Model Y is received, but with the Model 3 finally hitting its stride with production, we could very well be seeing a lot more Teslas on the road over the next couple of years.