Tesla Model Y Juniper facelift spotted with parking camera in the front bumper

The claim that trial production of the Tesla Model Y Juniper facelift has started may turn out to be credible, as street sightings of camouflaged test mules are getting more frequent.

After spotting an alleged Model Y Juniper refresh in the US with a rear light bar design element akin to the Cybertruck or the Robotaxi, then catching it being tested at night in Europe, it is now time to get a better look at the front.

A purported Tesla Model Y Juniper sighting has allowed to catch a glimpse of the front bumper up close and personal. Despite the camo tarp that the Juniper refresh is covered with at key areas, an opening at the front bumper can be seen, suggesting a camera placement similar to that of the Cybertruck.

The electric pickup comes with a front bumper camera there, too. It, however, is not part of Tesla's HW4 FSD kit, and not used for autonomous driving purposes. In its interactive Cybertruck overview video, Tesla confirms the front bumper camera is just there "to increase visibility ahead during low-speed parking and offroading" sessions, rather than assist when the Cybertruck's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature is on.

On the other hand, the front bumper thingy visible in the video depicting the camouflaged Model Y Juniper may turn out to be a mule-only element, similar to the one the Model 3 Highland had during prototype testing. Tesla ultimately decided to skip installing one on the Model 3 refresh, as it deduced that the rest of the HW4 camera kit will be enough to facilitate parking of the smallish sedan, plus nobody will be doing any offroading with it.

The Model Y Juniper, however, will sit higher and is certain to have an AWD version, so the front bumper camera may be there to stay in the finalized retail version. The Juniper facelift is expected to be unveiled next quarter with larger batteries, HW4 FSD kit, new front and rear styling, as well as improved powertrain architecture, vented seats, and ambient interior lighting.

Despite all those upgrades, Tesla may look to keep its pricing the same, or slightly lower even, cutting on costs thanks to new 4680 or CATL battery packs, the expected 800V high- and 48V low-voltage architectures, as well as a more minimalistic interior.

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