First Tesla Model Y Performance hits Aussie roads
But there’s only one so far and Tesla is yet to reveal when customer deliveries of dual-motor flagship electric SUV are dueThe first Tesla Model Y Performance has hit Australian roads – with a catch.
Yes, there’s now a top-spec Performance version of the all-new Tesla Model Y registered in Victoria, but the flagship of the brand’s hot-selling new SUV model range is not yet being delivered to customers.
Instead, the blue car that was registered in mid-September (and seen in our first local walkround video in June) is just a single example of the dual-motor all-wheel drive version that’s claimed to reach 100km/h in 3.7 seconds.
It’s understood the first Model Y Performance was a one-off and was bought by a Tesla Australia employee. It was seen leaving the Tesla delivery centre in Mulgrave a few weeks ago.
VicRoads registration records show it was registered on September 14, 2022 after achieving local compliance in June 2022.
The vehicle is likely one of the early cars that was imported in 2021 to obtain Australian Design Rule compliance for the Model Y.
Tesla initially imported a single example of all three versions of the Model Y: Rear-Wheel Drive, Long Range and Performance.
Checking the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) shows it was built in the Shanghai plant in 2021. This particular car achieved Australian compliance in June 2022, allowing it to be registered as a 2022 model despite the earlier build date.
Tesla Australia announced Model Y pricing in June, before raising those prices a week later (to $72,400 for the RWD and $104,053 for the Performance) and releasing first customer cars in August.
As for when customer versions of the Model Y Performance will hit Australian roads in big numbers, that’s yet to be confirmed.
Orders placed today are being quoted delivery between April and June 2023. That’s a couple of months later than the February to May 2023 estimated delivery time for the Rear-Wheel Drive models.
Until recently Tesla had been quoting the same 2023 delivery times for the Model Y RWD and Performance.
Even without the Performance and Long Range variants, the Model Y was the top selling SUV in Australia last month, outselling everything from the Toyota RAV4 and LandCruiser to the Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson.
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