Tesla Shanghai starts mass production of Model Y refresh in Jan, says local media

The refreshed Model Y, codenamed Juniper, expected to have similar features as the refreshed “Highland” Model 3, is will start mass production in China next month, according to local media.

The news was reported by local news site LatePost, and brought to the English world by CnEVPost.

The original report mostly discussed the departure of Song Gang, the former director of Tesla’s Shanghai factory, which we reported on earlier today.

But in addition to that, it said that mass production will begin on the new Model Y in January.

The refreshed Model Y has been expected for some time, and is expected to include many of the improvements of the 2023 Model 3 refresh. The headline features of that vehicle are 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).

And we know that it’s coming soon, because there have been plenty of sightings and leaks lately (including a 2-second video taken last week in San Jose). In October, Chinese social media said the refresh was about to enter trial production, and just days later we saw a photo of the refreshed Model Y outside the Shanghai factory.

So it’s not surprising that more information would leak about upcoming production again.

The report also suggests that the rumored 6-seat Model Y will start production in Shanghai in the fourth quarter of 2025 – so it’s still quite a ways out.

As for delivery times, the report doesn’t specify when that might happen. But there may be some time to wait, especially here in the US.

When the Model 3 refresh first came out, it started deliveries overseas and then took about 5 months for deliveries to start in the US. If the Model Y is on the same schedule, it might not be seen in the US until halfway through the year.

In terms of official comment from Tesla, all we’ve heard is that there will be no Model Y refresh “this year” – but that’s over in two weeks, so the doors are wide open for the Model Y to enter the market any time now.