Tesla’s New Y Raises a Bunch of Qs
Customer deposits for a new model could raise much-needed cash, but dilute demand for the Model 3.
A Tesla store, which may or may not be an endangered species.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
You had to be there. To really see Tesla Inc.’s new Model Y, that is. Those catching the livestream of Thursday night’s unveiling of the company’s compact SUV, as I did, got a relatively brief look at the Y. Much of the event was taken up with something like a greatest-hits rundown of Tesla’s previous vehicles, both real and promised. CEO Elon Musk poked at naysayers past who called electric vehicles a fraud, quipping “you can buy that fraud,” drawing cheers from the crowd.
The actual unveiling of the new vehicle — just one of them and mostly from wide angles — felt relatively low-key, though. Maybe that was the point.