Tesla Model Y: This US-exclusive option envied elsewhere

First appearing in January 2021, this option available only on certain Tesla Model Y sold across the Atlantic raises questions.

It has been two years since its introduction in the United States, and still nothing elsewhere. But enough suspense. This option that has been kept from you is the second-row bench seat. The one that increases the Model Y American capacity to 7 seats. An eccentricity not found on all versions, and definitely not on the European and Chinese models. Strange, because demand will be there.

However, there is a crucial condition for offering this option: choosing the Model Y Long Range. The Propulsion and Performance versions do not have it. Nothing to do with the $2,500 (2,250 euros) extra cost.

Tesla has never given a serious reason for this choice. One initial reason seems to lie in the industrial complexity of this architecture. Tesla favors economic pragmatism, with a catalog of options kept to a minimum. Only BYD has gone even further in this logic, offering absolutely no options on its cars.

To install the second-row seats, the seat that holds the three front passengers must now be sliding. A process that slows down factory production. The test was thus conducted with the Long Range, and spreading it across the rest of the lineup seems unnecessary.

Then, Tesla probably realized that there was some cannibalization of sales with its larger sibling, the Model X. Which has seen its sales plummet since 2019 with the arrival of the Model Y.

Finally, what about the popularity of this option? The reasons could be multiple. First, the additional cost, which is far from trivial. We have seen elsewhere that the price has decreased since its launch in 2021 when it was $3,000 (2,700 euros).

Another reason could be the limited space offered to the last two occupants in the back, with their heads bowed under the rear window. The feeling of claustrophobia must also be significant. Additionally, the trunk volume is seriously reduced by this configuration.

In the end, Tesla has limited this 7-seat version of the Model Y to the only American Long Range. Will we see it land in Europe soon anyway? Currently, no communication indicates that this will happen. Tesla seems to have more urgent matters to attend to.

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