Tesla appears to be preparing to launch its new Model Y units in North America, as substantial discounts on legacy Model Y inventory units have gone live.
After Tesla launched the highly anticipated Model Y refresh in the Asia-Pacific and European markets earlier this month, many have been wondering when the company will debut the vehicle in the U.S. and Canada. The redesign is expected by some to launch in Tesla’s home market in the coming weeks, and recent discounts on inventory units of the legacy Model Y in both the U.S. and Canada suggest that this may be right.
This week, Tesla launched price cuts of up to $4,120 on inventory Model Y units in the U.S. and Canada, as seen on the company’s website. At the time of writing, the company is offering a variety of discounts in areas across both countries, a move that is commonly used to clear out inventory to make way for upcoming refresh versions.
At the time of writing, we were able to find Model Y units with discounts ranging from $960 to $2,500, with multiple Long Range AWD trim options getting the max price reduction. Prior to the inclusion of local tax credits and the $7,500 electric vehicle (EV) tax credit, the latter of which is widely expected to go away under the incoming Trump administration, some LR AWD units are selling for a starting price of $47,490, despite also including add-ons such as Quicksilver or Ultra Red paint or induction wheels.
For the Performance trim, we were able to find a few upgraded units with discounts of $4,120, with prices dropping as low as $47,370 before credits. As such, this could be a good time to pick up the legacy Model Y ahead of the refresh launch, especially if you’re looking for something full spec at the base price. When considering the tax credit, some of these AWD LR units saw their prices drop to as low as $39,990 with upgrades, or as low as $37,490 for the RWD configuration.
For example, Tesla has been offering inventory discounts on its legacy Model Y in China in recent weeks, even still offering many since the vehicle’s launch, and prior to its debut, the company was also offering a wide range of promotions on the vehicle. During the company’s launch of the refreshed Model 3 in 2023 and 2024, Tesla also launched significant legacy Model 3 discounts in the U.S. in the months leading up to the North America debut, when it had already launched in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East markets.
Credit: Tesla
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Tesla’s new Model Y: lightbars, front-facing camera and more
Sightings of Tesla’s new Model Y have been spotted since as early as mid-2024, and sightings have been increasing significantly over the past several weeks leading up to the launch in other markets. Before the official launch, many correctly speculated that covered versions of the model appeared to include lightbars on both the front and rear bumpers, as opposed to the more traditional headlights and taillights that can be found on the legacy models.
Tesla also added a front-facing camera to the new Model Y, which offers a wider field of view for its semi-automated features such as Autopilot, Actually Smart Summon and Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD), which is expected to launch in China sometime this year. It’s not exactly clear just yet when Tesla plans to launch the new Model Y in the U.S. or Canada, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see it launch as soon as this month—especially with some of these massive discounts going live.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
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Tesla has added the 15th automaker to the growing list of companies whose EVs can utilize the Supercharger Network this year, as BMW is the latest company to gain access to the largest charging infrastructure in the world.
BMW became the 15th company in 2025 to gain Tesla Supercharger access, after the company confirmed to its EV owners that they could use any of the more than 25,000 Supercharging stalls in North America.
Welcome @BMW owners.
Download the Tesla app to charge → https://t.co/vnu0NHA7Ab
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) December 10, 2025
Newer BMW all-electric cars, like the i4, i5, i7, and iX, are able to utilize Tesla’s V3 and V4 Superchargers. These are the exact model years, via the BMW Blog:
- i4: 2022-2026 model years
- i5: 2024-2025 model years
- 2026 i5 (eDrive40 and xDrive40) after software update in Spring 2026
- i7: 2023-2026 model years
- iX: 2022-2025 model years
- 2026 iX (all versions) after software update in Spring 2026
With the expansion of the companies that gained access in 2025 to the Tesla Supercharger Network, a vast majority of non-Tesla EVs are able to use the charging stalls to gain range in their cars.
So far in 2025, Tesla has enabled Supercharger access to:
- Audi
- BMW
- Genesis
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Kia
- Lucid
- Mercedes-Benz
- Nissan
- Polestar
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
Drivers with BMW EVs who wish to charge at Tesla Superchargers must use an NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. In Q2 2026, BMW plans to release its official adapter, but there are third-party options available in the meantime.
They will also have to use the Tesla App to enable Supercharging access to determine rates and availability. It is a relatively seamless process.
News
Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
Tesla has added a new feature that will be great for crowded parking lots, congested parking garages, or other confusing times when you cannot seem to pinpoint where your car went.
Tesla has added a new Vehicle Locator feature to the Tesla App with App Update v4.51.5.
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
While there are several new features, which we will reveal later in this article, perhaps one of the coolest is that of the Vehicle Locator, which will now point you in the direction of your car using a directional arrow on the home screen. This is similar to what Apple uses to find devices:
Interesting. The location arrow in the Tesla app now points to your car when you’re nearby. pic.twitter.com/b0yjmwwzxN
— Whole Mars Catalog (@wholemars) December 7, 2025
In real time, the arrow gives an accurate depiction of which direction you should walk in to find your car. This seems extremely helpful in large parking lots or unfamiliar shopping centers.
Getting to your car after a sporting event is an event all in itself; this feature will undoubtedly help with it:
The nice little touch that Tesla have put in the app – continuous tracking of your vehicle location relative to you.
There’s people reporting dizziness testing this.
To those I say… try spinning your phone instead. 😉 pic.twitter.com/BAYmJ3mzzD
— Some UK Tesla Guy (UnSupervised…) (@SomeUKTeslaGuy) December 8, 2025
Tesla’s previous app versions revealed the address at which you could locate your car, which was great if you parked on the street in a city setting. It was also possible to use the map within the app to locate your car.
However, this new feature gives a more definitive location for your car and helps with the navigation to it, instead of potentially walking randomly.
It also reveals the distance you are from your car, which is a big plus.
Along with this new addition, Tesla added Photobooth features, Dog Mode Live Activity, Custom Wraps and Tints for Colorizer, and Dashcam Clip details.
🚨 Tesla App v4.51.5 looks to be preparing for the Holiday Update pic.twitter.com/ztts8poV82
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 8, 2025
All in all, this App update was pretty robust.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shaded Waymo in a post on X on Wednesday, stating the company “never really had a chance” and that it “will be obvious in hindsight.”
Tesla and Waymo are the two primary contributors to the self-driving efforts in the United States, with both operating driverless ride-hailing services in the country. Tesla does have a Safety Monitor present in its vehicles in Austin, Texas, and someone in the driver’s seat in its Bay Area operation.
Musk says the Austin operation will be completely void of any Safety Monitors by the end of the year.
🚨 Tesla vs. Waymo Geofence in Austin https://t.co/A6ffPtp5xv pic.twitter.com/mrnL0YNSn4
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 10, 2025
With the two companies being the main members of the driverless movement in the U.S., there is certainly a rivalry. The two have sparred back and forth with their geofences, or service areas, in both Austin and the Bay Area.
While that is a metric for comparison now, ultimately, it will not matter in the coming years, as the two companies will likely operate in a similar fashion.
Waymo has geared its business toward larger cities, and Tesla has said that its self-driving efforts will expand to every single one of its vehicles in any location globally. This is where the true difference between the two lies, along with the fact that Tesla uses its own vehicles, while Waymo has several models in its lineup from different manufacturers.
The two also have different ideas on how to solve self-driving, as Tesla uses a vision-only approach. Waymo relies on several things, including LiDAR, which Musk once called “a fool’s errand.”
This is where Tesla sets itself apart from the competition, and Musk highlighted the company’s position against Waymo.
Jeff Dean, the Chief Scientist for Google DeepMind, said on X:
“I don’t think Tesla has anywhere near the volume of rider-only autonomous miles that Waymo has (96M for Waymo, as of today). The safety data is quite compelling for Waymo, as well.”
Musk replied:
“Waymo never really had a chance against Tesla. This will be obvious in hindsight.”
Waymo never really had a chance against Tesla. This will be obvious in hindsight.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025
Tesla stands to have a much larger fleet of vehicles in the coming years if it chooses to activate Robotaxi services with all passenger vehicles. A simple Over-the-Air update will activate this capability, while Waymo would likely be confined to the vehicles it commissions as Robotaxis.
Tesla adds 15th automaker to Supercharger access in 2025
Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations
