On the evening of July 16, Tesla made a surprise announcement on its official Weibo account: “Model Y L, coming this fall!” The post included two official images of the Model Y L, sparking widespread industry attention. Shortly afterward, Tesla Vice President Tao Lin reposted the announcement, confirming that the Model Y L is positioned as a “luxury all-purpose six-seat SUV.”
On the same day, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published its latest batch of new vehicle filings, listing two Tesla models: a pure electric multi-purpose vehicle and a pure electric sedan, with model codes TSL6500BEVBA0 and TSL7000BEVBR1. The former refers to the Model Y L, a six-seat luxury electric SUV.
From the filing images, the Model Y L retains Tesla’s signature design language but with a longer body and sleeker profile. The front adopts a through-type light strip with split headlamps, while the side profile features hidden door handles, new 19-inch wheels, and sportier proportions. At the rear, the SUV carries a distinctive new badge. Measuring 4976/1920/1668 mm with a 3040 mm wheelbase, the Model Y L sits between the Model Y and Model X. Inside, it will offer a 2+2+2 six-seat layout, compared with the five-seat configuration of the current Model Y.
Power comes from dual motors (types 3D3 and 3D7), delivering 142 kW front and 198 kW rear, a slight increase over the current Model Y Long Range AWD.
Currently, Tesla sells only the Model 3 and Model Y in China, both of which have seen sales pressure amid intensifying competition and a fast-paced domestic product cycle. From January to June 2025, Tesla’s wholesale deliveries (including exports) in China totaled 364,500 units, down 14.6% YoY, while retail sales were 263,400 units, down 5.4%, with market share slipping to 4.8%—the only top-10 NEV maker in China to post declines.
The sudden unveiling of the Model Y L was widely seen as a positive signal. Industry peers also reacted: Li Xiang, CEO of Li Auto, praised the Model Y L as a “worthy competitor” in the six-seat EV SUV space, while William Li, CEO of NIO, commented that the era of large pure-electric SUVs has arrived. Executives from Li Auto and NIO further emphasized that competition in the six-seat EV SUV market will intensify in the second half of the year.
Tesla said the Model Y L will officially launch this fall, with pricing expected to slot between the current Model Y range of RMB 263,500–313,500.
On the same day, the Tesla Model 3+ also appeared in MIIT filings. The sedan largely carries over the current Model 3 design, but adds distinctive “Model 3+” badging. It uses a rear-wheel-drive setup with a more powerful motor and is equipped with a 78.4 kWh NCM battery pack supplied by LG.
