Chief Elon Musk has previously said that European Model Y will come from the factory that is under construction in Grünheide, outside Berlin in Germany. However, the cars coming in August are manufactured at Tesla’s factory in Shanghai, China.
Thus, there is now an active discussion on social media: Should one go for a Chinese-made car now or wait until the cars roll out from the German factory?
Musk has tweeted several times about the improvements coming at the Berlin factory: The body will no longer be assembled from many small parts – giant machines will cast the front and rear of the body in whole parts. The factory will also use the new, larger 4680 batteries with higher energy density, which will be an integral part of the car’s chassis. In addition, the factory gets a new paint workshop with better quality of the paint and possibly more colors.
First: Can you wait to take out the car at all if you have already ordered it?
Yes, you can let Tesla know that you want to wait for the German-made models. Although the contract states that the customer agrees to “receive delivery of your Vehicle within one week after the Clear Date”, customers who contact a service center can specify that they will wait for a car from Grünheide.
The price of Model Y in Norway has risen at least twice since it became possible to order about two years ago. The earliest customers deposited a deposit for a car that cost around 65,000 kroner less than it does now. If you receive the car in August, you get the same price as when you ordered. Does this also apply if you are waiting for the German car?
No, it’s not safe. The contract states that “Although we will try to accommodate your request, you agree that it is subject to availability and you may be subject to potential price increases due to any pre-adjustments made since your original Order Date”.
The Tesla contract specifies that you can get price increases due to any price adjustments made after the order date.
In other words, Tesla will try to accommodate the price you entered the reservation at, but at the same time has full opportunity to adjust it.
Several on social media say they have been told that they can keep the favorable price, but Tesla will, as far as we understand, wait to decide this until the German deliveries start.
Small and big changes
So how much better is the German-made Model Y compared to the cars from the Shanghai factory? It is also not very easy to answer easily. Tesla is constantly making small and big changes to its cars. Many of the changes make the production process faster and cheaper.
Some of the changes, such as the structural battery pack with larger battery cells, could potentially increase the range of cars by a double-digit number of percent.
At the same time, we do not know how Tesla will take out a possible gain from higher energy density. Maybe they want to put smaller battery packs in each car, which can give lower weight and thus more energy efficient cars. As is well known, Tesla has gone away from stating how large a battery pack each car has, and only operates with indications such as “Long Range” and “Standard Range”.
505 kilometers is not the final range
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The Shanghai-produced Model Y will have the changes Tesla has brought in recently, such as a heated steering wheel, HEPA filter and the new center console with two wireless chargers. The characteristic horizontal wooden felt on the dashboard extends along the car doors, as on the updated Model 3.
The rear of the car’s body is cast in one part, as is already done for the Model Y at the American factory in Fremont.
Chinese Model Y uses cylindrical 2170 cells, but it is uncertain which battery chemistry is used and how much capacity the battery has.
Note that the specified WLTP range of 505 kilometers in the Tesla Model Y configurator is only an estimate, not finally type-approved numbers. From what TU understands, the car is type-approved for Europe these days, and the final WLTP range will come before deliveries start in August.
If we change the region in Tesla’s order configurator for Model Y to Hong Kong or Macau (both of which will probably get Model Y from Shanghai), the WLTP range will change to 542 kilometers. It gives hope that the WLTP range will be longer than the current estimate, but we do not know this yet.
We have of course asked press manager Even Sandvold Roland in Tesla Norway about all the elements in this case. He declined to comment on the case, referring to Tesla’s website and the contract.
Never been better selection
The question boils down to what need you have, as well as whether you need the car as soon as possible. It may be safer to go for a Chinese car that has already been produced in many thousands of copies, rather than a German model with new new technology. At the same time, you risk that your latest major investment is technologically a bit outdated when Tesla gets production from Grünheide next year.
A third option is of course to look for another candidate among the growing range of electric SUVs. Now there are cars that can compete in many areas, such as charging properties and smart solutions, comfort or build quality. So it has never been more difficult to decide on the next electric car.
.1200x676.jpg "Chinese versus German Tesla Model Y: You can wait, but the price may be higher")
