Elon Musk Suggests Tesla’s New Model Y May Be Making Its Illustrious Debut In March, 2019

In an interview on Friday, Elon Musk suggested that the new Tesla Model Y SUV may be making its illustrious debut in March, 2019. However, he explained that the March 15 date that he tentatively set for its release, otherwise known as the Ides of March, was clearly “a kind of joke.”

As Inverse reported, Musk has confirmed that the design for the Model Y is now nearly complete.

“We’ve almost finished the design in the studio of Model Y, and we will probably debut the prototype, you know, roughly in March of next year. We’re a few months away from finishing the design. You finish the broad brush strokes, but there are still a lot of fine brush strokes. The broad brush strokes, we’re maybe a few months away from finishing.”

The Tesla Model Y will be a more inexpensive version of its Model X, similar to how the Model 3 is a less expensive version of the Model S.

Elon noted that the Model Y could very well be “a manufacturing revolution,” which would be an excellent thing for Tesla, especially considering the strain that was put on Musk and employees of the company after the production of the Model 3 was ramped up from 1,000 cars per week to 5,000, a feat which Tesla managed to pull off successfully.

Tesla Model Y May Eclipse The Model 3: What Elon Musk Has Said So Farhttps://t.co/U38UCADej1

— Forbes Tech (@ForbesTech) June 10, 2018

Forbes has reported that Inside EVs suggest that the Model Y may prove to be even more popular than Tesla’s Model 3, with a possible price range of around $45,000, although this is purely speculation at this point as no price has yet been announced.

“Model Y will be quite likely to be even more popular than the Model 3. Price-wise, look for it to slot in somewhere between the Model 3 and the Model S, perhaps in the $45,000-range for the base version.”

During a shareholder meeting in June, Tesla released a teasing image of the Model Y that has left much to the imagination, which makes sense as the SUV is still undergoing its final design. Musk did say that despite a potential release in March of 2019, it is certainly conceivable that the Model Y could also be unveiled in the later half of 2018, edging into early 2019.

But consider it real. We could unveil Model Y anytime from late this year to mid next year, so March 15 is about right.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 24, 2018

The competitors of the Tesla Model Y are reported to be the Acura MDX and BMW X3 and, similar to these vehicles, the Model Y should have a rear cargo area that is quite capacious along with a comfortably high seating position.

Popular Mechanics report that the Model Y should be heading into production sometime in 2020, which would allow Tesla to take their completed design of the SUV and obtain the necessary manufacturing equipment for it, along with finding a factory for the vehicle and everything else that its manufacturing will entail.

Elon Musk believes that Tesla will be able to succeed in producing one million units of the Model Y each year, “just to give some sort of flavor for optimism.”

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Musk has described how grateful he is for the hard work and dedication of Tesla employees, explaining how he has no problem sleeping on a factory floor to show them that he is on their side and they are all in this together.

“I care very deeply about the people at Tesla. I feel like I have a great debt to the people of Tesla who are making the company successful. OK? The reason I sleep on the floor was not because I couldn’t go across the road and be at the hotel. It was because I wanted my circumstance to be worse than anyone else at the company on purpose. Like whatever pain they felt, I wanted mine to be worse. That’s why I did it. And it makes a huge difference to people.”

With exciting new plans for the debut of Tesla’s Model Y, vehicle owners who would like an SUV that has comfort, style, and is actually good for the environment now have something to look forward to.