Technology

Elon Musk Announces Plan to Deliver Seven-Seat Model Y in December

Written By: Heidi
Heidi

Elon Musk has announced a plan to begin manufacturing a seven-seat Model Y in November and begin delivering it in December. Currently, the only available Model Y versionsare five-seat vehicles.

Consumers have been wondering when the seven-seat version would be available since March. However, the official Tesla website would only say that the Model Y version that it refers to as Seven Seat Interior was due for release in 2021. Musk have remained largely silent on the matter other than a June tweet saying “probably early Q4” until he responded to an October 14 Tweet posted by the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley Twitter account. This does seem to indicate that Tesla is getting better at projecting product release dates.

Tesla enthusiasts have theorized that the Seven Seat Interior Model Y might have the additional two seats rear-facing. Official Tesla materials show a front-facing back row in the seven-seat Model Y. This does not mean that a version with rear-facing seats won’t be available, as some early production units have been seen to sport seat mounts set up for rear-facing seats in the back row. Some observers did note that the rear seats might be a tight squeeze for some people unless Tesla can add additional room in the back.

Reacting to visuals of what a Model Y with a rear-facing back row of seats could look like, Disqus user Andrew Watson said, “The seats look fine for kids but a tight squeeze for adults, especially for ones who like BBQ and comfort food.”

It is not yet clear whether the rear row of seats will fold down for better cargo hauling capacity. If Tesla does add this capacity, the Model Y with additional seating may become popular with people who want the additional space for carrying larger items but feel like the four-seat Cybertruck would be a step back as far as carrying people is concerned. Despite the room issue, the Model Y is likely to be popular with families whose parents want a Tesla that can haul more children and their gear.

“A seven seat Model Y might be [the] second Tesla in my family,” said Disqus user Taylor Marks, though she did also indicate that she might opt for a used Model X instead if the price comes down.

The Model S has already sported rear-facing jump seats that are suitable for younger children. Elon Musk has indicated in another tweet that the base price of the Model S is changing to $69,420, though it is difficult to tell at first glance whether he was joking or not.

The seven-seat version will add $3,000 to the price tag of existing Model Y models. The base price of the Long Range is $49,990 and the Performance has a base price of $59,990.