Tesla Model Y refresh starts production Oct 22, says Chinese social media
Tesla is preparing to enter limited trial production of the new Model Y “Juniper” refresh in its Shanghai factory on October 22nd, according to a Chinese car blogger.
Tesla released its “Highland” Model 3 refresh last August, and it was a much more significant overhaul than we were expecting.
The headline features were a new front-end, more efficiency, and a quieter cabin. But there were a lot of other interior improvements as well (and one big de-provement, the deletion of steering column stalks).
Since then, there has been speculation that a Model Y refresh is coming soon. While the Model Y is not currently as old as the Model 3 was when it received its refresh, it stands to reason that there would be a number of people who are now waiting for a potential Model Y refresh before buying the car.
So Tesla likely feels more of a sense of urgency to update the Model Y, which is their (and the world’s) best-selling vehicle after all. The more people think a refresh is coming soon, the more they might push off buying decisions.
And while Tesla said there’s no Model Y refresh coming “this year”, the year is almost over now, and we’ve seen plenty of indications of it coming soon throughout the year.
In recent months, we have seen a camouflaged prototype clearly sporting a new “highland-like” front end and leaked uncamouflaged pictures of parts of the prototype.
Now there’s more potential news, in the form of a report from a Chinese car blogger who said trial production will begin this week in Tesla’s Shanghai gigafactory.
The rumor was first posted by 胖虎Shawn (Fat Tiger Shawn), a Chinese car blogger, on Weibo.
However, production will reportedly start slow, at a rate of just 12 vehicles a day, and with strict restrictions on factory workers making the unannounced upgraded model. It is not likely for the car to be available before the end of the year, as Tesla would put its focus on shoring up its Q4 numbers with its usual end-of-quarter rush.
This also meshes with previous supply chain reports we’ve seen suggesting the refresh would be available in Q1 of 2025.
Producing the car in Shanghai first also would suggest that it may not be available in North America before elsewhere. As was the case with the Model 3, the refresh came to Europe four months before it came to the US. So if this report is true, we may be waiting for even longer on this side of the pond (either that, or Austin and Fremont have better infosec than Shanghai does…).
While we don’t yet know the details of the refresh, we can imagine that many of the changes from the Model 3 would be carried over to the Model Y.
In spy photos, the front end already looks to be carried over, and it might receive similar efficiency improvements from improved aerodynamics. A quieter interior from higher use of acoustic glass seems likely, and most of the interior improvements also seem like they would carry over. That probably also includes the steering column stalk deletion, so if you’re looking for a Model Y with stalks, you don’t have a lot of time left (feel free to use our referral link in that case).
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Trump’s Interior Department halted construction on 704 megawatt (MW) Revolution Wind, the US’s first multi-state offshore wind project that’s already 80% complete. Grid operator ISO New England says the decision is a threat to the grid.
ISO New England released a statement responding to the stop-work order, warning that “delaying the project will increase risks to reliability.”:
As demand for electricity grows, New England must maintain and add to its energy infrastructure. Unpredictable risks and threats to resources – regardless of technology – that have made significant capital investments, secured necessary permits, and are close to completion will stifle future investments, increase costs to consumers, and undermine the power grid’s reliability and the region’s economy now and in the future.
Revolution Wind, a joint development between Ørsted and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, is a 65-turbine project capable of powering around 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut once it’s complete. It was expected to come online next year. The project has created more than 1,200 jobs.
On August 22, the director of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management sent a vague letter to Ørsted commanding it to halt all activities on the fully permitted Revolution Wind, citing “national security interests,” yet providing no details.
BOEM’s Record of Decision for Revolution Wind, reported in 2023 in Section 4.6, page 185, states that the national security effects of the project would be “negligible and avoidable.”
This latest move echoes Trump’s cancellation in April of New York’s $5 billion Empire Wind 1 project, which was already under construction off New York’s coast. No viable reasons were given for that stop-work order either, and the cancellation was reversed in May.
Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), released the following statement in response to the Revolution Wind order:
The Trump administration’s war on the electricity needed to power the grid continues on all fronts. Halting Revolution Wind is a devastating attack on workers, on electricity customers, and on the investment climate in the US.
New England homeowners will feel this when they tear open their electricity bills and look at the surging costs of keeping the lights on.
This administration has it exactly backwards. It’s trying to prop up clunky, polluting coal plants while doing all it can to halt the fastest growing energy sources of the future – solar and wind power.
It makes no sense to say we have an energy emergency and then make decisions like this. Unfortunately, every American is paying the price for these misguided actions.
Read more: Trump reversal revives Empire Wind, NY’s offshore energy giant
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Tesla is teasing a new product release on Friday, August 29th, coming to Europe and the Middle East. It’s likely going to be the Model Y Performance.
On X today, Tesla has teased an upcoming product release coming this friday.
The post is cryptic. It only mentions ‘spoiler alert’ and the date August 29 with what looks like a close up of a vehicle with what appears to be a spoil – hence the “spoiler alert” reference:
There are main suspect is the Model Y Performance due to the spoiler reference.
Since the Model Y refresh in January, Tesla stopped selling the Model Y Performance. It is due to launch the top performance version under the new design.
When Tesla released the Model 3 refresh in 2024, it took about 4 months for Tesla to launch the new performance version.
Electrek’s Take
The only thing that I find strange with this likely being the Model Y Performance is the fact that they tweeted this from the Europe and Middle East account.
It would be strange for the Model Y Performance to launch there first, but who knows. Maybe Tesla started production at Gigafactory Berlin first.
I don’t think this will have a major impact on Tesla’s business. The Model Y Performance is the least popular version of the best-selling Model Y.
We don’t have the full mix of sales, but I wouldn’t be suprised if it represents less than 10% of Tesla’s Model Y deliveries.
The Model 3 Performance is probably a more popular option within the Model 3 lineup as it is a lot more fun to drive.
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![Genesis GV60 Magma EV sheds camo, revealing a radical new look [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/08/Genesis-GV60-Magma-EV-2.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The GV60 Magma will have a distinct look and feel compared to other Genesis vehicles. As the first EV from its new performance sub-brand, the Genesis GV60 Magma will debut with enhanced power, advanced suspension, a sporty new design, and more. For the first time, it was caught on video racing around the Nürburgring, giving us our closest look yet.
Genesis GV60 Magma EV flexes new style at Nürburgring
We got our first look at the new Magma models last March at the NY Auto Show alongside the full-size Neolun concept.
Magma is “the brand’s expansion into the realm of high-performance vehicles,” Genesis boasted. Among the first vehicles to earn a Magma upgrade is the GV60.
Genesis fine-tuned the electric crossover SUV, giving it a wider and lower stance for improved control. The larger lower air intake contributes to the aggressive new look, while also serving to cool the batteries and motor, both of which have been upgraded for enhanced performance.
Earlier this year, we got a good look at the GV60 Magma during winter testing in Europe. Although you could see a few new design features, it was mostly covered in camo.
After it was recently spotted with less camo at the Nürburgring race track in Germany, we are getting an even better idea of what to expect when it arrives.
The video from CarSpyMedia shows the Genesis GV60 Magma EV with a production body and minimal camouflage.
You can see the high-performance vehicle flexing its power and handling as it rips around the track. Like other Hyundai Motor performance EVs, including the new IONIQ 6 N, you can expect the Genesis GV60 Magma to deliver over 600 horsepower, if not closer to 700.
The current Genesis GV60 Performance delivers up to 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds.
| Horsepower | 0 to 60 mph (seconds) |
Starting Price | |
| Genesis GV60 Performance | 429 | 3.7 | $69,900 |
| Genesis GV60 Magma | ? | ? | ? |
| Porsche Taycan | 402 | 4.5 | $99,400 |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (with Weissach Package) |
1,092 | 2.1 | $230,000 |
| Tesla Model S Plaid | 1,020 | 1.99 | $89,990 |
Genesis will launch the GV60 Magma EV later this year in Korea, followed by the US, Europe, and other global markets. We will learn prices and final specs closer to launch, but given the Performance models start at $69,900, you can expect a higher starting price tag, likely closer to $75,000.
At that it would be significantly less than the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Tesla Model S Plaid. Will it match the performance?
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