Tesla has added a Long Range version of its new stripped-back, entry-level Model Y – while also removing the Standard name used when it first arrived here at the end of last year.
The new Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive model starts at £44,990, £3000 more than the base Rear-Wheel Drive, but crucially it's some £4000 cheaper than the model it replaces. Premium trim raises the price to £48,990.
This new price closely aligns the German-built American EV with European rivals such as the Skoda Enyaq and Audi Q4 E-tron.
The new Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive offers 383 miles of range, which is four miles fewer than its predecessor, while using the same battery pack. Tesla doesn’t publicise battery capacities, but it's understood to be 82kWh.
Meanwhile the standard Rear-Wheel Drive offers 314 miles of range, up three miles on the car it replaced, which Tesla attributed to its lighter weight.
To hit the new price point, changes made to the Model Y include the removal of the light bars at the front and rear for a simpler split-light design. It also forgoes a panoramic roof and frequency-selective dampers are swapped for passive ones.
Inside, the faux leather of other Model Y variants is swapped for cloth and the centre console has been downsized.
The sound system has seven speakers rather than the nine of other variants and there's no touchscreen for rear passengers.
The so-called Bioweapon Defence mode for the cabin air filtration system is omitted and the steering wheel position has to be adjusted manually rather than electrically.
A physical key is also omitted, requiring owners to use the Tesla smartphone app to gain access.
Whereas the base model is fitted with 18in wheels in other markets, such as in the US (where it retains the Standard name), it gets the Crossflow 19s in the UK to help boost residual values.
Tesla has also given the entry-level Model 3 the same stripped-back treatment, so a Long Range version of that car is expected to be unveiled soon.
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The worrying trend is they're are common as Seagulls, why people buy a car that looks anonymous, has no, well to me anyway,no endearing style, the interior is an excercise in blandness and your led to believe this is what your transport is supposed to look like,and the price reduction? , a response to the burgeoning market getting filled with more and more Chinese offerings which are cheaper looking, better looking and more ergonomically pleasing and these facts must be of some concern not just to Tesla but other brands to.
Best possible move that a tech company that doesn't see itself as a car company can do at the moment. What next, a dressed up washing machine with wheels on it?
Brought to you by a company who wants you to spend 30 grand on a humanoid robot as your 'friend' to keep you tweeting cos AI took your job. Tesla is beyond a joke my now.