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Tesla Model Y demand skyrockets, Long Range variant nearly sold out for Q3

Credit: Tesla

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The demand for the Tesla Model Y Long Range variant is skyrocketing as the company now outlines the soonest possible date to take delivery in September, meaning the vehicle is nearly sold out in Q3, even though it is still Q2.

After releasing the all-electric crossover last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk predicted that the Model Y would overtake the Model 3 in terms of popularity. In several markets, like China and more locally in California, the Model Y has already established itself as the overachieving little brother because people are tending to buy the all-electric crossover more than the all-electric sedan.

As Tesla continues to ramp up its manufacturing efforts for all of its vehicles, the Model Y is the main focus of the automaker as it expands into new regions. In Austin at Giga Texas, the Model Y and the Cybertruck will take center stage when the facility begins manufacturing the vehicles by the end of 2021. This plan is reflected with the Model Y in Europe, where Tesla’s first Gigafactory on the continent in Germany will manufacture the Model Y straight out of the gate later this year.

However, demand is becoming a bit overwhelming for Tesla as it aims to complete two new factories by the end of 2021. The company’s cars are becoming so popular in so many regions that delivery dates are becoming more prolonged, meaning the need for additional production facilities is becoming more apparent as the transition to sustainable energy continues to leap forward.

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It was hinted in early May that Tesla had already sold out of Q2 production volume because of increasing demand. While that is still an amazing accomplishment, Tesla is already starting to sell out for the next quarter with at least one of its cars. The Model Y Long Range is proving to be Tesla’s biggest seller, it appears, as the company is estimating the earliest delivery date will be September, the final month of 2021’s Q3.

Credit: Tesla

The demand has led to Tesla increasing the prices of the Model Y by $3,500 so far this year, after cutting the cost of the car significantly in February. Tesla has avoided encountering severe problems due to the global chip shortage. Still, demand and some parts shortages have resulted in Tesla hiking the prices of its two mass-market vehicles in 2021.

Tesla has made several changes to the Model Y this year, including removing a lumbar-support option in the passenger’s seat. One of the biggest changes, however, is Tesla’s removal of radar equipment in the Y and the 3, a move that Tesla has long considered in its quest for Full Self-Driving.

Nevertheless, the demand for the Model Y is skyrocketing based on recent registration figures. The Model Y overtook the Model 3 in April, according to the EV Sales Blog’s Global sales figures. It sold 16,232 units compared to the Model 3’s 14,980. The Model 3 retained the title of most popular EV in 2021, but the Model Y sits in third, just behind the Wuling HongGuang Mini EV from the GM-SAIC-Wuling venture in China.

CEO Elon Musk predicted earlier this year that the Model Y would be the best-selling vehicle globally in 2022. “When it comes to Model Y, we think Model Y will be the best-selling car or vehicle of any kind in the world and probably next year,” he said during the Q1 2021 Earnings Call. “So I’m not 100% certain next year, but I think it’s quite likely. I’d say more likely than not that in 2022, Model Y is the best-selling car or truck of any kind in the world.”

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The Model Y was the first vehicle in Tesla history to be profitable in its first quarter of production. The demand for the Model Y and its evident growth through sales figures from various outlets bodes well for Tesla’s financials. The company will aim for its eighth-consecutive profitable quarter when it reports its earnings sometime next month.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Cybertruck

Tesla drops latest hint that new Cybertruck trim is selling like hotcakes

According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla’s new Cybertruck offering has had its delivery date pushed back once again. This is now the second time, and deliveries for the newest orders are now pushed well into 2027.

According to Tesla’s Online Design Studio, the new All-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck will now be delivered in April 2027. Earlier orders are still slated for early this Summer, but orders from here on forward are now officially pushed into next year:

Just three days ago, the initial delivery date of June 2026 was pushed back to early Fall, and now, that date has officially moved to April 2027.

The fact that Tesla has had to push back deliveries once again proves one of two things: either Tesla has slow production plans for the new Cybertruck trim, or demand is off the charts.

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Judging by how Tesla is already planning to raise the price based on demand in just a few days, it seems like the company knows it is giving a tremendous deal on this spec of Cybertruck, and units are moving quickly.

That points more toward demand and not necessarily to slower production plans, but it is not confirmed.

Tesla Cybertruck’s newest trim will undergo massive change in ten days, Musk says

Tesla is set to hike the price on March 1, so tomorrow will be the final day to grab the new Cybertruck trim for just $59,990.

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It features:

  • Dual Motor AWD w/ est. 325 mi of range
  • Powered tonneau cover
  • Bed outlets (2x 120V + 1x 240V) & Powershare capability
  • Coil springs w/ adaptive damping
  • Heated first-row seats w/ textile material that is easy to clean
  • Steer-by-wire & Four Wheel Steering
  • 6’ x 4’ composite bed
  • Towing capacity of up to 7,500 lbs
  • Powered frunk

Interestingly, the price offering is fairly close to what Tesla unveiled back in late 2019.

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Elon Musk

Elon Musk outlines plan for first Starship tower catch attempt

Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.

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Credit: SpaceX/X

Elon Musk has clarified when SpaceX will first attempt to catch Starship’s upper stage with its launch tower. The CEO’s update provides the clearest teaser yet for the spacecraft’s recovery roadmap.

Musk shared the details in recent posts on X. In his initial post, Musk confirmed that Starship V3 Ship 1 (SN1) is headed for ground tests and expressed strong confidence in the updated vehicle design.

“Starship V3 SN1 headed for ground tests. I am highly confident that the V3 design will achieve full reusability,” Musk wrote.

In a follow-up post, Musk addressed when SpaceX would attempt to catch the upper stage using the launch tower’s robotic arms. 

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“Should note that SpaceX will only try to catch the ship with the tower after two perfect soft landings in the ocean. The risk of the ship breaking up over land needs to be very low,” Musk clarified. 

His remarks suggest that SpaceX is deliberately reducing risk before attempting a tower catch of Starship’s upper stage. Such a milestone would mark a major step towards the full reuse of the Starship system.

SpaceX is currently targeting the first Starship V3 flight of 2026 this coming March. The spacecraft’s V3 iteration is widely viewed as a key milestone in SpaceX’s long-term strategy to make Starship fully reusable. 

Starship V3 features a number of key upgrades over its previous iterations. The vehicle is equipped with SpaceX’s Raptor V3 engines, which are designed to deliver significantly higher thrust than earlier versions while reducing cost and weight. 

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The V3 design is also expected to be optimized for manufacturability, a critical step if SpaceX intends to scale the spacecraft’s production toward frequent launches for Starlink, lunar missions, and eventually Mars. 

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Tesla FSD (Supervised) could be approved in the Netherlands next month: Musk

Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared that Full Self-Driving (FSD) could receive regulatory approval in the Netherlands as soon as March 20, potentially marking a major step forward for Tesla’s advanced driver-assistance rollout in Europe.

Musk shared the update during a recent interview at Giga Berlin, noting that the date was provided by local authorities.

“Tesla has the most advanced real-world AI, and hopefully, it will be approved soon in Europe. We’re told by the authorities that March 20th, it’ll be approved in the Netherlands,’ what I was told,” Musk stated

“Hopefully, that date remains the same. But I think people in Europe are going to be pretty blown away by how good the Tesla car AI is in being able to drive.”

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Tesla’s FSD system relies on vision-based neural networks trained on real-world driving data, allowing vehicles to navigate using cameras and AI rather than traditional sensor-heavy solutions. 

The performance of FSD Supervised has so far been impressive. As per Tesla’s safety report, Full Self-Driving Supervised has already traveled 8.3 billion miles. So far, vehicles operating with FSD Supervised engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. 

In comparison, Teslas driven manually with Active Safety systems recorded one major collision every 2,175,763 miles, while Teslas driven manually without Active Safety recorded one major collision every 855,132 miles. The U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.

If approval is granted on March 20, the Netherlands could become the first European market to greenlight Tesla’s latest supervised FSD (Supervised) software under updated regulatory frameworks. Tesla has been working to secure expanded FSD access across Europe, where regulatory standards differ significantly from those in the United States. Approval in the Netherlands would likely serve as a foundation for broader EU adoption, though additional country-level clearances may still be required.

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