Budget Tesla Model Y without glass roof leaks showing barebones interior

The cheapest Model Y that Tesla said will be released next quarter may not have the glass roof and LED light strip or rear reflector of the Juniper refresh, and would ship without vented seats, cupholder storage, A-pillar speakers, or even clothing hooks.

Such a stripped down Model Y trim, dubbed project E41 internally, has now been filmed for the first time somewhere around the Giga Shanghai factory, covered in test mule camo.

The headlights are now moved up, indicating that the LED light bar of the Model Y Juniper refresh may be gone in its cheaper brethren, while the unique rear reflector that splashes diffused red light on the asphalt behind is seemingly nixed, too.

The interior of the alleged budget Model Y has been devoid of several things that are available in the current Juniper refresh. The ventilated front seats are gone, while the fabric seems to be vegan leather with some cloth elements.

There is no rear display, and the central console has been interrupted to do away with the cupholder storage, like Tesla did with the cheapest Cybertruck. The number of audio speakers has been reduced, at least with the ones in the A-pillar, while Tesla has even removed the clothing hooks above the window rim.

Other than that, what may turn out to be the cheapest Model Y seems to be similar in size to its decked-out brethren next to it in the video below. This suggests that Tesla may keep its dimensions the same, rather than go through the pain of shortening the wheelbase. Elon Musk said that Tesla's affordable vehicle will be "smaller, to be certain," but at the time he was referring to a more compact car tentatively called the Model 2, rather than a nerfed Model Y.

At the Q2 investor call, he revealed that the cheaper Tesla released in Q4 will be simply "a Model Y" trim aiming for a lower price, and didn't refer to it as more compact. Retooling production lines for a shorter body may be more expensive than using the same frame and parts anyway.

Granted, Tesla will be releasing a larger six-seat Model YL with longer wheelbase in the fall, but it will reportedly be selling it for more than ten grand over the current Model Y pricing, too. The goal with the budget Model Y, on the other hand, is to be as cheap as possible while assembled on the current production lines.

Tesla is reportedly gunning for a $35,000 price to compensate for the loss of tax credit subsidies, as it will release the budget Model Y after they expire on September 30, 2025.

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