Model Y Juniper facelift seen swerving in traffic at 70 mph to test its handling

The area enclosed by Hillview Avenue and Coyote Hill Rd in Palo Alto has become a hotspot for sightings of various unreleased Tesla vehicles.

This is where Tesla's Palo Alto HQ is located, just below Deer Creek Rd, and it has been testing a number of upcoming cars on the surrounding roads, including the Cybertruck and the Model 3 Highland refresh before it.

This time it is the turn of the upcoming Model Y Juniper facelift to shine, as it has been spotted battling highway traffic in the vicinity, while covered in camouflage as any self-respecting test mule.

The first sighting of the Model Y Juniper there saw it parked on the side of a road, and the next one had the camo lifted to reveal a unique light bar with the Tesla logo at the rear.

Now, however, the Model Y Juniper refresh was driven seemingly "erratically," and at 70 mph at that. The Juniper facelift was "swerving back and forth really quickly in its lane, almost like how racecars warm up their tires," likely testing its handling at speed and in heavy traffic.

This suggests that new suspension tweaks may be in store when the Model Y Juniper is released next year. Unfortunately, due to those evasive maneuvering, the person who saw the Juniper could only snap one picture from afar.

Camouflaged Model 3 Highland test mules appeared about nine months before the official launch, though, so the Model Y Juniper release may have indeed been moved to 2025.

Elon Musk is on record saying that no new Model Y is to be expected this year, despite previous rumors, as Tesla is occupied with ramping up the Cybertruck production. It also wouldn't want to cannibalize the sales of its current most popular vehicle in a challenging market.

Tesla introduced the Model Y in 2020, so a grand facelifted version in 2025 will be in line with what it did for the Model 3, whose Highland refresh came six years after the initial launch.

Besides the new rear design with the light bar, the Model Y Juniper upgrades are expected to closely follow what Tesla did for the Highland and, hopefully, the Cybertruck.

These include improved suspension and noise isolation, as well as a streamlined interior with vented seats, along with 800V powertrain and 48V low-voltage system upgrades under the hood.

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