Tesla is unveiling Model Y on March 14

Tesla is finally going to unveil Model Y, its upcoming all-electric crossover based on Model 3, on March 14 in Los Angeles. CEO Elon Musk confirmed the news today.

More than a year ago, Musk said that the Model Y would be unveiled on March 15, 2019 – mentioning the Ides of March, but the timing of the unveiling event was never mentioned again until now.

According to a new tweet from Musk today, the date is now set for March 14 and it will happen at Tesla Design Studio in Hawthorne, California.

Model Y unveil event on March 14 at LA Design Studio

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2019

Tesla has been gradually releasing small details about its plan to bring the Model Y to production as soon as next year.

In its Q4 shareholder’s letter released last month, Tesla has confirmed plans to achieve “volume production by the end of 2020” and that it would “most likely” happen at Gigafactory 1 in Nevada:

“Additionally, this year we will start tooling for Model Y to achieve volume production by the end of 2020, most likely at Gigafactory 1.”

That’s the first time Tesla officially mentioned a location for Model Y production in the US.

The company did confirm plans for Model Y production at Gigafactory 3 in China at the ground-breaking ceremony a few weeks prior.

In October 2018, Musk announced that he approved Tesla’s Model Y prototype for production and stated that they target 2020.

The Model Y is expected to be a higher and bigger version of the Model 3 and feature a hatchback.

Musk also tweeted today that it will be about 10% bigger than Model 3:

Model Y, being an SUV, is about 10% bigger than Model 3, so will cost about 10% more & have slightly less range for same battery

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 3, 2019

Musk said that it will look a  lot like Model 3 and it will not have Falcon Wing doors – something that he previously wanted with Model Y.

Tesla has been debating making on a new platform or using the Model 3 platform over the past few years and it’s unclear where they have landed on the issue.

Detailed specs and pricing information will be announced at the event next week and working Model Y prototypes will be available for test rides.

Electrek’s Take

I really wasn’t sure if a March unveiling was still in the plans for Model Y because it hadn’t been mentioned in over a year, but I guess it makes sense now that the base Model 3 is out.

The launch of the Model Y, which will likely come with the start of reservations, will undoubtedly affect Model 3 demand, but I don’t think it will be a huge issue now that the base Model 3 is out – resulting in even more demand for the sedan.

It’s good timing to unveil the Model Y – just as Mercedes-Benz and Audi are both expected to launch all-electric vehicles in the same premium crossover segment in Geneva this week.

We should be there and bring all the news.