Did the sudden launch of Model Y L indicate that it was getting anxious after being challenged by domestic rivals?

Without any warning, the Tesla Model Y L suddenly hit the market, catching car owners, salespeople, and even competitors off guard. Although Tesla has been overshadowed by Xiaomi and the throne of the Model 3 has been taken by the SU7, on the first day of the Model Y L's launch (a weekday), fans flocked to the stores enthusiastically and placed orders actively, which still proves Tesla's strong brand appeal. A few days later, the pure - electric version of the AITO M8, a major competitor to the Model Y L, will officially announce its price. In the second half of 2025, the market for large six - seat pure - electric SUVs is going to be quite a show.

Sold a Week's Worth in One Day

On the evening of August 18th, Zhao Meng's phone suddenly popped up a notification - "Arrive at the store at 8:30 tomorrow morning". She works as a salesperson in a Tesla experience store, and the arrival time in this notification is half an hour earlier than usual. The next day, when she saw the Model Y L display car arrive at the store, Zhao Meng was stunned. "We found out about the new car's launch at the same time as everyone else."

At 8 a.m. on August 19th, Tesla launched a six - seat SUV, the Model Y L, on its official website in China, with a starting price of 339,000 yuan and expected deliveries to start in September. The last official news about this new car was "See you in autumn". The sudden launch of the Model Y L caught the market and its competitors off guard.

Tesla launched the Model Y L on its official website in China. Photo / Tesla official

Zhang Xiang, the secretary - general of the International Association of Intelligent Vehicle Technology, believes that the sudden launch of the Model Y L is unexpected but reasonable. Zhang Xiang told MeiRen Auto that during the R & D, production, and debugging process of a vehicle model, various problems may occur, and there are uncertainties. The official announcement of a September - October launch might be to allow enough time (to avoid uncertainties). If everything goes smoothly, it is reasonable to launch earlier, and the automaker can seize the market opportunity.

Although they were "stunned" by the sudden launch, potential car owners who got the news still flocked to Tesla stores on a weekday morning. At around 10 a.m., when the new car entered the store, Zhao Meng and her colleagues stood in a row, "like welcoming a bride", ready to greet the guests. Two hours later, the showroom, which could only hold three cars, was crowded with people. Everyone gathered in the middle, forming a circle around the Model Y L. A salesperson had to introduce the product to several potential car owners at the same time, and there was a continuous stream of people for test drives, with high enthusiasm.

"It's only 20,000 yuan more expensive than the Model Y but longer. I bought it too early!" a car owner said regretfully, folding his arms. Some customers, after placing a small deposit, frankly said, "I'll buy the six - seat version and use it as a four - seat one." He felt that the space in the extended Model Y L was much more spacious.

The sales pillar, the Model Y, suddenly became unpopular, with few people stopping by. Everyone came for the Model Y L. "We sold more in one day than in a normal week," Tesla salesperson Feng Xing told MeiRen Auto. Just yesterday, his store received 40 small deposits, which is a good performance. Although many people had asked about the arrival time of the display car a while ago, the enthusiasm shown by consumers on the first day the display car arrived still exceeded their expectations.

"Teach me how to place an order," a customer who had added Feng Xing's contact information but hadn't been in touch for more than a year suddenly found him on WeChat. He immediately replied, "Why don't you come and have a look at the car first?" But the other party said they wanted to place an order directly. Feng Xing said that this customer didn't even come to the store to see the car, only test - drove the Model 3. Feng Xing received quite a few such "straightforward" customers on the same day.

At a Tesla store, many people were looking at the Model Y L. Photo / MeiRen Auto

According to Tesla salesperson Liu Jing's observation, most of the people who placed orders were owners of the 2019 Model 3 and 2021 Model Y. The rest of the owners who hadn't bought a Tesla were still on the sidelines. "Just like Apple users are used to upgrading, they want to buy the new model when it comes out," Liu Jing believes that the high repurchase rate is driven by users' strong brand recognition. In addition, some users placed orders because of the "CBC suspension only available in the top - of - the - line version".

Of course, what attracts people the most is the pricing of the Model Y L. From the feedback received by Tesla salespeople, consumers are generally attracted by the price of this car. Even before the launch, Feng Xing and his colleagues guessed the pricing of this car. They thought it wouldn't be less than 370,000 yuan. When the news was announced, the group was in an uproar. It was an unexpected figure for everyone.

Chen Mo, who is planning to buy a car recently, values the driving feel, handling, battery performance, and audio system of Tesla models. In fact, since the launch of the Model Y, Chen Mo has been paying attention to Tesla's developments. Currently, both the five - seat and six - seat versions are under his consideration. After the launch of the six - seat version, he has one more option to refer to.

"Actually, for most scenarios, a five - seat car is enough," the size of the car's interior space is not the most important thing to him. He values the driving experience more. He plans to wait for the test - drive car to arrive and then make a decision after the test drive.

The Battle in the Large Six - Seat Pure - Electric SUV Market Heats Up

Not holding a launch press conference, not setting a pre - sale price, and not testing the market's reaction to the price, and just setting the price directly. Perhaps only Tesla dares to do this. However, from another perspective, such a "hasty" launch also shows that Tesla is in a hurry.

The Model Y L is positioned as a pure - electric six - seat SUV. In this niche market, in July just passed, the pure - electric version of the AITO M8, the Li Auto i8, and the LeDao L90 were launched intensively (the pure - electric version of the AITO M8 was in pre - sale). Automakers are launching new models in droves because they smell business opportunities. Data from the Passenger Car Association shows that in 2024, the cumulative retail sales of large and mid - large SUVs in China reached 1.646 million, a year - on - year increase of 52.5%. Among them, the sales of new - energy models reached 1.331 million, and the market penetration rate exceeded 80%.

In this context, the competition in the large six - seat pure - electric SUV market has reached a new level. So, how competitive is the Model Y L among its many competitors?

Tesla launched the Model Y L on its official website. Photo / Tesla official

First of all, the pricing is quite competitive. The Model Y L, priced at 339,000 yuan, is almost priced closely to the Li Auto i8, only 800 yuan cheaper. Compared with the other two competitors, this price doesn't have much of an advantage, as the LeDao L90 has already set its price at 265,800 yuan. Although the pre - sale price of the pure - electric version of the AITO M8 is in the range of 378,000 - 468,000 yuan, referring to the pricing of its competitors, it is very likely to come up with a jaw - dropping price.

One of the real aces up the Model Y L's sleeve，is its range and energy replenishment. This car is equipped with an 82kWh ternary lithium battery, with a CLTC range of 751 kilometers and an energy consumption as low as 12.8kWh/100km. Among its competitors (the Li Auto i8, the pure - electric version of the AITO M8, and the LeDao L90), it ranks first in terms of range and energy consumption per 100 kilometers. However, its peak charging power is 250kW, which is slightly less efficient than its competitors.

According to Feng Xing, Tesla's motors are more energy - efficient. You don't need to carry a large battery around. The inertia during a collision is smaller, and it drives more nimbly. For example, if three cars run 500 kilometers at the same time, Tesla only needs 70 kWh of electricity, while its competitors generally need about 100 kWh.

In terms of power and handling, Tesla is also in its comfort zone. The Model Y L uses a dual - motor all - wheel drive system. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in only 4.5 seconds, quickly responding to the driver's operations. The maximum speed can reach 201 km/h. This time, the Model Y L has also upgraded its chassis and is equipped with the CDC electronically controlled suspension that only the Model 3P has, reducing the sense of road bumps and providing a good support experience during high - speed driving.

Chen Mo has a clear feeling about this. He has driven the main models of other new - energy brands and felt that they were "loose and wobbly" and couldn't achieve "point - and - shoot" responsiveness. The reaction was a bit sluggish. He has experienced other Tesla models and found that the driving feel is great, and the chassis is more compact.

In terms of the central control screen, Tesla has also made a comprehensive upgrade. The main screen has been increased from 15 inches in the refreshed version to 16 inches, and there is also an 8 - inch secondary screen. The resolution has been increased by 30%. Different from the Li Auto i8 and the LeDao L90, Tesla didn't equip the rear row of the Model Y L with an entertainment screen, which is a bit of a drawback. But the Model Y L has added 18 speakers and a subwoofer in the car to create a more immersive music - listening atmosphere.

Since it features a six - seat layout, the interior space has become an important decision - making factor for car owners to place an order. According to data from the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the length, width, and height of the Model Y L are 4976/1920/1668mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 3040mm. Its body size is slightly smaller than that of several competitors.

The interior space of the Tesla Model Y L. Photo / Tesla official

Putting aside the paper data, let's look at the actual interior space and cabin experience. With the same car width, Tesla has expanded the lateral space at the rear of the Model Y L by 20mm, and the trunk space has reached 2539L. The second row uses independent seats, which support forward and backward movement, can be reclined to 125°, and can be flattened with one key. It is also equipped with an electric lift armrest and a hidden small table. The first and second rows have a ventilation function, and all seats in the car support the heating function.

If an adult sits in the third row, it will be a bit cramped. MeiRen Auto's actual measurement shows that when a 1.75 - meter - tall man sits in the third row, with the first and second rows adjusted to a normal sitting position, there is only about 1 - 2 fists of legroom left in the third row. Most netizens think that the third row is more suitable for children or pets.

Overall, the advantages and disadvantages of the Model Y L are obvious. Its range and energy consumption are relatively leading among its competitors, and the driving feel is better. However, the space in the third row and the intelligent configuration are relatively weak. Some on - the - fence buyers have concerns about the handling. "The turning radius of the Model Y is already large. Will the handling be weakened after the extension?" At the same time, some netizens think that it would be better to keep the five - seat layout while extending the car to make the front and rear rows more spacious.

The arrival of the Model Y L has stirred up more waves in the already intense large six - seat pure - electric SUV market. Although it has obvious shortcomings, the consumers who flocked to the stores on the launch day still gave Tesla a lot of confidence. Next, let's see how the pure - electric version of the AITO M8 is priced on August 25th.

(All interviewees in this article are aliases)

This article is from the WeChat official account "MeiRen Auto". Author: He Xinxin, Editor: Li Huanhuan. Republished by 36Kr with permission.