While its deliveries are down, Tesla says interest in the new Model Y is "very strong", with Australian deliveries on track for May – and test drives commencing late April.
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The first examples of the updated 2025 Tesla Model Y have arrived in Australia for public viewing ahead of the first deliveries commencing in May.
Two examples of the Model Y were unveiled to the press and public this morning at the Everything Electric show in Sydney, with a manufacturer-backed presence – rather than a stand run by the Tesla Owners' Club of Australia.
Tesla Australia and New Zealand country director Thom Drew told Drive customer test drives are expected to commence in late April, once large batches of cars start to arrive.
The Model Y will initially be sold in a Launch Series specification – with extra features and unique trim elements – with regular variants with lower RRPs to go on sale in the coming weeks.
Prices for the Launch Series range from $63,400 to $73,400 plus on-road costs, up $3500 to $7500, though it includes typically-optional premium paint and larger wheels as standard.
"From an order point of view, we're really happy with what we've got, very strong demand," Drew told Drive, when asked about interest in the new model.
"As you might've seen recently, we sold out our allocation of the Rear-Wheel-Drive [Launch Series] car, so [we're] just still selling through the remainder of the Launch [Series] Long Range All-Wheel Drive.
"And then we will introduce our general production pricing soon after that."
Tesla deliveries are down 66 per cent so far this year, but the company's results have been affected by a change-over from old to new Model Ys, as well as a slowing new-car market across all brands.
Drew said the company's order bank – which he declined to reveal – place it in a "really healthy position".
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner