Tesla Stretches Model Y for China, Hoping to Stay Afloat

Elon Musk's lifeboat is springing leaks, as the world’s gaze on Tesla grows increasingly indifferent. Even China, once the company’s almighty sales engine, is no longer the dependable powerhouse it used to be. Now Tesla is trying to tweak its fortunes and nudge the market by offering local consumers a longer, seemingly better version of the Model Y, dubbed the YL. This stretched edition is slated to debut publicly in fall 2025.

There was no grand unveiling. Tesla kept things cryptic, dropping a couple of vague sketches and offering zero information. Fortunately, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stepped in, spilling details as casually as if scribbled on a napkin. The car will measure 4,976 millimeters in length—an extra 150 compared to the standard Model Y. Width clocks in at 1,920 millimeters, height at 1,668, and the wheelbase stretches to a substantial 3,040 millimeters, which Tesla hopes will make drivers feel like they’re riding business class, not stuck inside a glorified appliance.

The interior didn’t escape changes either. Tesla added a third row of seats, transforming the vehicle into a six-seater “luxury model.” Of course, that means extra weight. The curb weight now tips past the two-ton mark, coming in at 2,088 kilograms.

The vehicle is powered by dual electric motors: 193 horsepower in the front and 269 in the rear, for a combined 456 horses—six more than the standard Model Y. Top speed reaches 201 kilometers per hour, though Tesla remains mum on battery capacity. They do, however, proudly note that it runs on a three-element NMC battery from LG, which sounds reassuring but still leaves the lingering question: how far can this beast actually go?

For years, the Model Y was Tesla’s sales talisman in China. But times have changed. The new version, introduced with high hopes at the start of 2025, has failed to dazzle. Just 171,500 units sold in the first half of the year—a 17.5 percent drop from the same period last year. And this isn’t just a numbers game. It’s a clear sign that Tesla no longer holds the same luster, no longer the radiant torchbearer for the future that customers once lined up in the cold to buy into.