Tesla Model Y 'Juniper' upgrade coming after 'Highland' Model 3 with new body and interior

It costs Tesla just US$39,393 to make a Model Y, according to Sandy Munro's part-by-part analysis, but that manufacturing expenditure may be lowered even further when the 2024 Model Y upgrade hits the market. Tesla is reportedly working on a Model Y with new body design, refreshed interior, and probably powertrain upgrades as well.

Tesla is apparently modeling the upgrade after its "Project Highland" undertaking that will see a Model 3 refresh released in September this year, according to Reuters sources. For the new Model 3 and Model Y, Elon Musk is shifting focus on improving redundancies in design or engineering, and streamlining production to keep margins intact amidst the EV price war that Tesla itself started in January.

It is not yet clear what the Model Y "Juniper" redesign would entail, but for the new Model 3's interior, Tesla is reportedly aiming at a more minimalistic look that will focus on the features that drivers actually use in the car. Apart from a new, large central display console, that is. The last Model S overhaul hid all buttons and vents, so the new Model 3 and Model Y would probably undergo a similar transformation.

As for when will the 2024 Tesla Model Y upgrade be released, the sources say next October, which would be about a year after the Model 3 "Highland" redesign that is slated for this fall. While the new Model 3 sedan will first be assembled at Giga Shanghai, the Model Y has been a bestselling vehicle in many markets for a while now, and Tesla would probably have to introduce the Juniper upgrade's manufacturing process simultaneously across more of its factories.

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