

News
First Tesla Model Y New Zealand deliveries: First Impressions
One of the first reported Tesla Model Y cars was delivered in Auckland, New Zealand, last Friday. Dhruv and Mona from YouTube channel EV Kiwis reached out to Teslarati and shared their first impressions of the right hand drive Model Y in New Zealand.
Model Y New Zealand Delivery: First Impressions
Dhruv and Mona picked up their RWD Model Y from a Tesla delivery center in Auckland. Fellow Teslarati reader David spotted a bunch of Model Y and Model 3 units on car carriers in Auckland a week or two ago.
“The Model Y is everything that the locals wanted – effectively an SUV version of the Model 3 that is by far the top selling EV in Australia and New Zealand. Based on the fact that everyone and their mum wants an SUV, the Model Y offers a near perfect value package that will sell like hot cakes and help it surpass the success of the Model 3.”
Model Y RHD vs Model Y LHD
The new Tesla Model Y owners noted that the build quality of their vehicle was perfect. “We literally found zero issues with panel gaps or misalignment or even any problems internally. These cars coming out of the Shanghai factory are very solid!” they told Teslarati.
They also shared some differences between the right hand drive (RHD) units delivered in New Zealand and left hand drive (LHD) Model Ys. Elon Musk commented that Tesla didn’t expect the high demand for RHD Model Ys.

According to Mona and Dhruv the RWD version they received is only available in RHD markets as of this writing. Their RWD Model Y has a 60kWh LFP battery pack and a lower performance 3D7 motor, resulting in slower acceleration.
The pair also noted that the rear passenger windows are double-paned and tinted. Mona and Dhruv’s Model Y vehicle did not come with a parcel shelf—”at least in this first batch of deliveries,” they told us.
However, their Model Y did come with Tesla’s Universal Mobile Connector (UMC), which costs an additional NZ$600 ($385.32) now. They noted that reservation holders who placed their order before July 8, 2022 would receive a free UMC with their delivery.
Tesla’s NZ website shows that the current price of the Model Y RWD is NZ$76,200 ($48,935), while Performance variant costs NZ$108,900 ($69,935). Dhruv and Mona mentioned a Clean Car Discount of NZ$8,625 that some reservation holders could avail. The requirements for the discount are listed, here.
Watch Dhruv and Mona’s Model Y delivery experience below!
Have anything interesting to share with Teslarati? We’d appreciate hearing from you. If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via Twitter @Writer_01001101.
News
Tesla considers making a big move with Model Y pricing as demand is skyrocketing
“Trending toward a need to expedite output even further, which could mean adjusting pricing upward in the coming days. Trying hard not to, will see.”

Tesla is considering making a big move with Model Y pricing as demand is skyrocketing due to the EV tax credit expiring in just over a month.
With the $7,500 EV tax credit set to be removed on September 30, Tesla is experiencing increased demand for its Model 3 and Model Y. Customers are doing whatever they can to take delivery of the car they ordered as soon as possible.
The IRS recently adjusted the EV tax credit’s rules slightly.
Previously, the vehicle had to be delivered by September 30, but a slight tweak the agency made last week will now allow customers to enter a legally binding contract along with a marginal down payment by that date. The delivery can occur after September 30, and the car can still qualify for the credit.
However, demand is getting so crazy for the Model Y that Tesla is considering a price increase on the all-electric crossover, as well as a potential boost in production output to keep up with orders.
Inventory is dwindling in several markets across the United States, a good sign for the company, as it could have one of its best quarters in recent history in terms of deliveries.
However, Tesla is thinking of bumping the price slightly, Raj Jegannathan, the company’s VP of IT, AI Infrastructure, Apps, Infosec, and Vehicle Service Operations, said on X:
Trending toward a need to expedite output even further, which could mean adjusting pricing upward in the coming days. Trying hard not to, will see.
— Raj Jegannathan (@r_jegaa) August 25, 2025
The price adjustment would come as a response to increasing production output, Jegannathan’s response seems to indicate.
The bump would help Tesla’s margins, but the idea that the company could adjust pricing by increasing it would not be popular with potential car buyers. It might encourage some buyers to put their orders in sooner, hoping to avoid a new, higher price.
However, it could also steer some buyers away from putting an order in on a vehicle, especially if the price increase is more than a few hundred dollars.
Tesla boosted the price of the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck recently, but brought in a “Luxe Package” to help justify it.
It comes with Free Full Self-Driving, Free lifetime Supercharging, four years of premium service, and lifetime Premium Connectivity.

Tesla has produced its 100,000th new Model Y at Gigafactory Berlin. The milestone was announced by the electric vehicle maker through its official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X.
New Tesla Model Y milestone
The milestone was announced by Tesla on X, when the company wrote “Today, we built the 100,000th New Model Y at Giga Berlin!” The announcement was accompanied by an image of a new Model Y coming off the line.
The milestone was received warmly by members of the Tesla community, many of whom expressed excitement at the further progress of the new Model Y program at Giga Berlin. The facility, after all, only produces Model Y units, which would make it the perfect site to produce new variants like the Model Y Performance and possibly even the Model Y L, which was recently launched in China.
New Model Y ramp
As noted in a previous report from electrive, the initial production of the new Model Y started in Giga Berlin around mid-January 2025. Since the new Model Y involved a changeover from the legacy Y to the new variant, the ramp of the new Model Y’s production at the Germany-based facility was likely a gradual process over the past months.
It would then be no surprise if the next 100,000 new Model Y units would be produced in Giga Berlin in a shorter period. Giga Berlin could become an even bigger factor in Tesla’s global sales, after all, especially if it becomes the site that produces the Model Y Performance and the Model Y L for Europe and other territories. Giga Berlin, if any, seems to be quite busy recently, with aerial videos of the facility showing a fleet of mysteriously covered Model Y units being stored within the complex.
News
Tesla set to win big after IRS adjusts EV tax credit rules
“For purposes of sections 25E, 30D, and 45W, a vehicle is ‘acquired’ as of the date a written binding contract is entered into and a payment has been made. A payment includes a nominal down payment or a vehicle trade-in.”

Tesla is set to potentially come out as a big winner as the IRS has adjusted the rules of the $7,500 EV tax credit slightly.
The $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles is set to expire on September 30, but the IRS has made a slight adjustment to the terms of the credit that will give consumers a bit more time to buy an EV and receive the discount.
The original terms of the EV tax credit were that delivery of an EV must be completed by September 30. Even if you had made a reservation or put a down payment on an EV, if it did not arrive and take delivery by September 30, the credit would not apply to you.
Tesla is ready with a perfect counter to the end of US EV tax credits
This put some people in quite a tough situation. As wait times for some EVs, especially Tesla Model Y and Model 3 vehicles, continue to be pushed back due to an increase in demand as consumers are trying to take advantage of the credit, some car buyers ordered a car that was not the trim level, paint color, or interior color that they wanted.
However, the IRS has adjusted the terms of the tax credit to enable people to have a bit more time to get the vehicle they want.
Late last week, the agency said that the meaning of “acquired” has been changed, and now, if a consumer has entered a legally binding contract to take delivery of the vehicle, which includes a nominal down payment on the car, they can take delivery after the previous September 30 deadline and still qualify for the credit.
The IRS wrote:
“For purposes of sections 25E, 30D, and 45W, a vehicle is ‘acquired’ as of the date a written binding contract is entered into and a payment has been made. A payment includes a nominal down payment or a vehicle trade-in.”
🚨 HUGE NEWS: The $7,500 EV Tax Credit is EXTENDED (sorta) 🚨
The IRS just updated its guidance:
If you enter a binding contract and make a payment (even a small downpayment or trade-in) before Sept 30, 2025, you’ve officially “acquired” the vehicle.
That means you’ve… pic.twitter.com/7Ciye8OfqB
— DennisCW | wen myp (@DennisCW_) August 22, 2025
Tesla could come out as a big winner here because of this. The company is experiencing a lot of demand for its cars because of the tax credit’s expiration, and now that the rule has been adjusted to include orders received by the 30th as long as they’re accompanied by a nominal down payment, some of these high-demand deliveries could leak into Q4.
Q3 is likely going to be a very strong quarter for Tesla, and questions remain about how the company will perform in subsequent quarters since the tax credit is going away. However, this slight adjustment is a big plus for Tesla and other EV makers.
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