Elon Musk recently highlighted what could arguably be the Model Y’s most underrated feature. The all-electric crossover has been lauded for many things, but beyond its utility, reasonable price, and performance, lies an aspect of the vehicle that Tesla has obsessed over since its development—its safety.

The Model Y’s rise

Tesla designed the Model Y to be the company’s best-selling vehicle. Produced on the heels of the Model 3, the Model Y was a vehicle that Elon Musk noted would outsell the Model 3, Model S, and Model X combined. Prior to its start of deliveries, such an accolade seemed far-fetched, since the Model 3 was such a domineering force in the EV sector.

It only took a matter of time before Elon Musk was proven right. The Model Y would go on to become Tesla’s best-selling vehicle by a wide margin. And in 2023 and 2024, the Model Y sold so much that it actually took the crown as the world’s best-selling car by volume. A lot of this was due to its balance between affordability, performance, and tech. There is simply no other car in its price range that offers comparable value for its price.

Tesla’s safety obsession

While the Model Y’s sales and performance in the automotive market are already impressive, its safety is also top-notch. Just recently, the new Model Y was able to earn a Top Safety Pick + rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the fifth year in a row that the all-electric crossover was able to earn the prestigious accolade. To attain such a high rating, the Model Y would have to achieve “Good” results across the IIHS’ rigorous tests.

This was highlighted by CEO Elon Musk in a recent post on X. In response to a post about the new Model Y earning the highest safety rating from the IIHS, Musk highlighted the vehicle “rated highest in safety.” This is no exaggeration, as the Model Y has proven its safety and durability over the years. This has been proven time and time again, with the Model Y protecting its occupants even in the most serious of accidents.

A good example of this happened in January 2023, when a Model Y fell 250 feet down Devil’s Slide in California. The incident was disturbing, as it was later revealed that the driver intended to harm his wife and children by driving the Model Y off a cliff. The Model Y proved safe enough to save the family, and all four—the driver, his wife, and their two kids—survived the harrowing incident.

Tesla hinted that a smaller pickup truck could be on the way, but the company did not clarify whether it would be an abbreviated version of the Cybertruck, or a new design altogether.

The Cybertruck is unlike any vehicle that has ever come before it. Some other vehicles, like the DeLorean, have had similar shapes, but no manufacturer or pickup brand has ever tried to build such an interesting and unorthodox truck, especially in the quantity Tesla builds them.

Only available in North America and the United Arab Emirates (for order as of now, as deliveries are not expected until the end of this year), the Cybertruck has not made its way to areas like Europe or Asia, where Tesla has a sizeable presence. Much of this is due to the sheer size of the pickup, which would not be an ideal vehicle for many of the tight streets and various traffic conditions.

Elon Musk hints at smaller Tesla Cybertruck version down the road

Tesla already made the Cybertruck smaller before it started manufacturing it and delivering it to customers in October 2023. This was to help it fit inside the Boring Company tunnels, but it also seemed as if it just needed a slight scaling back for general public use.

Tesla’s VP of Powertrain, Lars Moravy, spoke on Saturday at the X Takeover about a significant change in the Tesla lineup that has been discussed internally by the company, as questions relating to the Cybertruck’s size and its ability to be useful or practical in other markets continue to be questioned.

He was asked, “Do you see a need for a smaller, more globally scalable version to serve broader, more urban or international segments of the pickup market?”

He said:

“We always talked about making a smaller pickup. I think in the future, as more and more of the Robotaxi comes into the world, we look at those options and we think about, ‘Okay, that kind of service is useful not just for people, but also for goods.”

He continued by stating that Tesla has been working in its Design Studio, located in Hawthorne, California, with potential designs:

“We’ve definitely been churning in the design studio about what we might do to serve that need, for sure.”

The question and answer start at the 22:22 mark of the video below:

Join Tesla VP @larsmoravy for an exclusive keynote on cutting-edge vehicle engineering! Insider views on Cybertruck, Robotaxi, & sustainable energy innovations.
Watch live on @teslaownersSV from X Takeover 2025 in San Mateo! @corporatestrea1 https://t.co/Fk7kAF3ZfW

— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) July 26, 2025

It sounds as if the question is phrased as, “Will Tesla develop a smaller Cybertruck?” while Lars’s answer only specifies “pickup,” and not necessarily “a smaller Cybertruck.”

It also seems that, if Tesla is doing as much work as it sounds like in the Design Studio, perhaps it is mulling a new pickup design altogether. The Cybertruck has been the best-selling electric pickup on many occasions from a quarterly perspective, and it was the best-selling EV pickup in 2024.

Tesla has designed smaller pickups in the past, but they’ve never made it to market. An exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles showed internal drawings of pickup concepts that Tesla considered for its lineup.

Tesla has been very secretive about any details surrounding its affordable vehicles, but a new sighting seems to have provided a first glimpse at the company’s cheaper Model Y. Based on the sighting, it appears that the vehicle will indeed be a stripped-out version of the all-electric crossover, but it could be the perfect starter car for a Robotaxi service.

Affordable Tesla

During the second quarter earnings call, Tesla VP for Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy stated that more affordable models will be available for everyone in Q4. He also confirmed that the production of the vehicles really did start in June, just as stated in Tesla’s previous Update Letters. 

Tesla executives, however, did not provide specific details about the affordable cars, save for a previous comment stating that they would be quite similar to what the company currently offers today. This has brought speculations that Tesla’s more affordable vehicles that were listed in its Update Letters will just be stripped-out versions of cars like the Model Y.

Recent Sighting

These speculations seemed to be accurate, at least based on a recent sighting of the affordable car that has recently been posted on social media. The video, which was reportedly captured in California, featured a stripped-out Model Y with several characteristics that will likely make it notably more affordable. 

Based on the video, it would appear that the affordable Model Y will feature no split headlights and no glass roof. The indirect light bar also seems to be absent from the vehicle. Inside, the vehicle did not seem to have cupholder covers and no rear screen. Its seats also look like Tesla’s non-ventilated vegan leather seats.

Interestingly enough, the vehicle, despite its evident cost-cutting measures, still features a front bumper camera. Considering that the car will be produced with Tesla’s AI6 chip, it would seem that Tesla is also designing the vehicle as an ideal car for its Robotaxi service.