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Tesla details plan for increased Model Y pricing stability in Australia
As Chinese automakers increasingly deploy low-priced EVs in the Australian market, one Tesla executive explains one way the company plans to stay competitive.
A Tesla executive managing the Australian and surrounding markets has detailed the company’s plans to move away from rapid pricing changes with the arrival of the new Model Y, especially as electric vehicle (EV) competition from other Chinese automakers arrives in Australia and surrounding markets.
Thom Drew, Tesla’s Country Director for New Zealand and Australia, said in an interview with Chasing Cars on Friday that the recently refreshed Model Y will make it to Australian markets with more consistent pricing. The statement comes after the Model Y remained Australia’s best-selling EV in 2024, and he says that the era of the Tesla price war seems to be winding down as the SUV gets more affordable.
“We are certainly not going to get into price wars,” Drew said. “I know we have famously been known for changing our prices rapidly over the past several years.
“I really think we have gotten to a point with our pricing where it is where it should be. Once we release the general production pricing for Model Y, I think we are at a really good point. Particularly with the refinements on the [upgraded] vehicle, it is exceptional value for money.”
First deliveries of the Launch Edition Model Y refresh are expected in May, and Drew says initial shipments will be large in volume to match significant demand for the EV. The executive also confirmed that the highly-coveted rear-wheel-drive (RWD) model, the Launch Edition of which is currently sold out, will go on sale again as the regular edition in the weeks to come.
At the time of writing, you can still order the Launch Edition configuration of Tesla’s Long Range, all-wheel-drive (AWD) Model Y on its online order configurator.
READ MORE ON TESLA’S NEW MODEL Y: Australia’s top car website gives Tesla Model Y and Model 3 its best EV awards
It’s not clear at this time if Tesla plans to employ similar strategies in markets beyond the Asia-Pacific, though Drew highlights the pricing stability efforts as a necessary measure to remain competitive amongst incoming EVs from Chinese automakers. Between this and optimizing consumer experiences by making great vehicles, the executive explains that the company remains intent on holding onto its number one seller spot.
“We need to make sure we are hyper-focussed on the quality of our products and our competitiveness,” he says. “[We need to] be looking around today and making sure that we have the best ownership experience to keep our brand at the number-one point.”
At this point, Drew also says that the Model Y is the most affordable option in the Australian market, highlighting that keeping the price stable should hold competitors off for the foreseeable future, at the very least. The news also comes as reports say that Tesla may already be looking to launch an even cheaper Model Y in China, which could make the vehicle even more competitive with future iterations.
“At the moment, there is no cheaper model that I am aware of,” Drew adds. “If there was one, absolutely [we would have our hand up].”
The Australian market requires right-hand-drive (RHD) vehicles, meaning that they drive on the left side of the road and are equipped with steering wheels on the right side of the automobile. Tesla’s Gigafactory in Shanghai supplies the markets in Australia, New Zealand and multiple surrounding regions throughout the Asia-Pacific.
Tesla launched the upgraded Model Y in China in January, after months of speculation that the refreshed SUV would soon be launched. The automaker began initial deliveries of the Launch Edition Model Y refresh in China last month, officially transitioning to the sale of the regular edition of the vehicle at the beginning of March.
Australia has received 107k of Tesla’s 1 million exports from Giga Shanghai: report
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Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.
This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
News
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Downdetector reports
Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.
As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.
Previous disruptions
Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.
In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
