Family Model Y 7-seater may launch before racy 2026 Performance trim

Tesla has started sending out emails in which it basically teases the launch of the long awaited 2026 Model Y version with seven seats.

This is the one that Tesla's chief engineer Lars Moravy promised to be arriving "later this year" during a promotional interview staged around the Model Y facelift's launch. He also teased a 2026 Model Y Performance trim, and that one has been caught testing at the legendary Nürburgring racetrack.

The refreshed 7-seat Model Y, however, could be the one that appears first in Tesla's current portfolio. The promo email tells prospective Model Y buyers that the electric SUV is "ready for anything with long range, seating for up to seven and enough room for everyone’s gear."

While the notion that occupants will be left with enough place for their gear in a Model Y 7-seater can be debatable, the sheer fact that Tesla is mentioning the option as a done deal is pretty telling.

Currently, the Model Y order page has only two interior options - for the seat colors - but Tesla does say "5-seater configuration" below them, hinting that a 7-seat version is on the way once again.

There were rumors that a 2026 Model Y with more than five seats has entered production at Giga Shanghai back in May, but there hasn't been a change in the Tesla China options configurator to reflect that just yet.

The Chinese market, however, will reportedly get a 6-seat Model Y with three rows of full-size seats, which will on top of that be larger than the current 5-seat version that Tesla sells.

It is not clear if the Model Y 7-seater that Tesla teases in its email to customers in the US will also come with an extended wheelbase, or will just be the same vehicle, but with two smaller seats thrown in the trunk, as Tesla usually goes about it.

In any case, it seems that the 7-seat Model Y is almost ready for launch, so Tesla will soon have an answer to all those pressing legroom questions.