2025 Model Y Juniper is now made in Germany as Tesla sells more cars than Audi for the first time

The Model Y Juniper release date in Europe will coincide with its launch in China, it seems, as Tesla has reportedly started production of the facelift today in its Gigafactory near Berlin.

The Model Y is Tesla's bestselling vehicle, and its global popularity helped it make more cars than the storied German brand Audi for the first time in 2024 – 1.67 million vs 1.79 million units – so it would want to keep that momentum.

Last week's rumor that Tesla has scheduled a Model Y Juniper refresh release brief with Giga Berlin staff for this week turned out credible. German media is reporting that the meeting was held on Monday, and the facelift has gone on display in the factory so that the team leaders could explain the Juniper's specs and features prior to today's production start.

It is not yet clear whether Tesla will have the exclusive Model Y Juniper versions in Europe that its predecessor had, like the "maximum range" RWD model with LFP battery that can cover 372 WLTP standard miles on a charge. What seems certain, however, is that there will be a Model Y Juniper Performance version, as that one has already been spotted testing in the US.

The rumor that correctly predicted last week's facelift announcement and the Juniper refresh's March release date, however, also advised that production will start almost concurrently in Shanghai, Berlin, and in the US. Two of those Gigafactories are down by now, but there is still no news on when will the Model Y Juniper release date in the US be.

In Australia, the Juniper facelift will launch in May, but the market there will get the Chinese versions, just with the RHD option. Besides the need for longer regulatory approval times as the 2025 Model Y undergoes crash and FSD feature testing, as happened with the Model 3 Highland refresh, another possible reason for a delayed Model Y Juniper release in the US could be the need to ramp up the 4680 battery cell production.

Tesla will need all the 4680 packs it can make at Giga Texas and elsewhere, both for the Cybertruck, and the Model Y Juniper, as it strives to make the cheapest battery made in the US with the government's tax credit subsidies for their production.

If Trump's administration removes the made-in-US EV and battery tax credits as rumored, however, all bets are off, and Tesla might as well continue using Panasonic and LG batteries in the Model Y Juniper facelift, which could bring forward its release date in the US.

Get the 80A Tesla Gen 2 Wall Connector with 24' cable on Amazon