New Tesla Model Y ‘Juniper’ to have Xpeng-like full-width LED bar, sources say

Updated Tesla Model Y, codenamed Juniper, will feature a strip of LED lights that extends across the entire front and rear of the vehicle, a Chinese car blogger claimed.

Although the final design of the refreshed Model Y has yet to be revealed, several spy shots have already surfaced, confirming the Model Y Juniper will have split headlights. Chinese car blogger SugarDesign claims it will also feature a full-width LED light bar in front and rear, based on spy shots and sources familiar with the matter.

SugarDesign also published renders showing the look of the new Model Y, adding that Tesla is taking notes from China EVs’ playbook, alluding to Xpeng’s full-width LED light bar, which is a signature design language for its whole model lineup.

In June, company CEO Elon Musk said they will not launch refreshed Model Y this year. New Model Y 5-seater is expected to start deliveries in Q1 2025, followed by 7-seater in Q4 2025. According to CarNewsChina information, mass production will start in late November in Tesla’s Giga Shanghai plant. Any electronic devices were banned in the workshop in October following the leaks about the trial production start.

Last year, in September, Tesla started the production of an updated Model 3 ‘Highland’ in Giga Shanghai. The first batches were for export only, as domestic sales started in October.

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The Model Y spy shots with split headlights and adjusted rear already revealed that the new design wouldn’t be just a copy of the current Model 3 design language.

Tesla sold 460,200 EVs in China so far in 2024 (January – September), up 6.1% from the same period last year, good for 2.9% domestic market share, according to China EV DataTracker. In September Tesla sold 72,200 EVs, up 66% from last year.

Today, Tesla has extended its 5-year, 0% interest loan incentive in China through November 30, offering buyers of certain Model 3 and Model Y variants a continuation of the financing benefit that started in April. This move is not surprising as China’s EV price war is far from over, and Tesla is under pressure from dozens of local EV startups launching its Model Y competitor, such as Onvo L60, Xpeng G6, or Zeekr 7X.