Model Y Juniper refresh spy shot reveals a rear light bar design saga twist as the facelift braves the rain in suspension test

After starting with a few Model Y Juniper refresh trial production units back in October, Tesla has reportedly reached a manufacturing pace of over 200 facelifted vehicles a day over at its Gigafactory in Shanghai, ready to start mass production there in January.

Preparations for the Model Y Juniper launch are underway at its Texas and Berlin facilities, too, with the German Gigafactory in particular waiting on a staff level meeting around the production of the facelift next month. These tidbits all indicate an imminent Tesla Model Y Juniper announcement, and explain the numerous random sightings in the US, Europe, or China these past few weeks.

The Juniper facelift has been caught on camera over the Christmas holidays again, this time being road-tested on the streets of both California and New York. The photo from Santa Clara reveals an interesting design twist at the rear, where a consensus has been brewing that there will be a light bar across the tailgate.

Instead of pressing to transpire against the test mule camo tarp, however, the single red light on this prospective Model Y Juniper protrudes through a cutout where it seemingly serves as a mere third brake light. That doesn't mean that the eventual rear light bar can't be lit up in sections, of course, but until the test mule camouflage is removed, we can't know for sure if Tesla decided to go with the initially spotted design of uninterrupted light bar all across the back.

The other new Model Y Juniper sighting has happened on video, where the tarp-covered mule has been filmed driving in pouring rain, testing the suspension works over speed bumps and the like. The Juniper suspension seems softer than that of the current Model Y, which has been a pet peeve for many an owner of Tesla's bestselling vehicle.

The rest of the Juniper's specs upgrades are expected to include a larger battery and more efficient motors, as well as a HW4 kit and a 48V low- and 800V high-voltage systems, just as the Cybertruck. The 800V powertrain will also allow the Juniper refresh to charge about 30% faster than the current crop of Model Y vehicles, at least on Tesla's newly minted V4 Superchargers.

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