Tesla’s new longer ‘Model YL’ with 6 seats spotted ahead of launch

Tesla is teasing its new longer ‘Model Y L’ with six seats as “coming soon,” just as it has been spotted for the first time.

For the last few months, we have known that Tesla is preparing to launch a new variant of the Model Y with 6 seats.

Before the Model Y refresh earlier this year, Tesla was offering a third-row Model Y with 7 seats on the same chassis as the regular 5-seat Model Y.

It was unclear whether the new 6-seat model, which would feature captain-style seats in the second row, would be built on a larger wheelbase, but this was confirmed last month through a filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

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The first specifications and dimensions were released, confirming a length of approximately 180mm (7 inches) longer, a height of about 24mm (1 inch) taller, and a wheelbase that is also 150mm (or approximately 6 inches) longer.

Now, Tesla is teasing the new Model YL as “coming soon” on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, and released the following video:

In the video, we can see the retractable armrests in the second row and the third and second row seats and the process of being folded down:

Model Ys with the new ‘Model YL’ badging have been spotted on transport trucks in China as the launch appear imminent.

Furthermore, there are also images of the interior circulating on Chinese social media that show the interior of the Model YL with the two back rows fully down:

Tesla is bringing the vehicle to market in China just ahead of NIO starting deliveries of the Onvo L90, which is likely going to be the closest competitor in third-row electric SUVs.

NIO reportedly received almost 60,000 pre-orders for the vehicle.

Electrek’s Take

As we reported when Tesla first confirmed the Model YL in China, this segment is becoming increasingly popular in the country, but it won’t significantly boost the automaker’s volumes.

This is going to be more expensive than the regular Model Y, and Tesla needs to go downmarket a bit if it wants to keep up with the competition in the critical EV market.

However, it will be interesting to see they launch this in North America, where it could prove popular.

The pre-refresh third row was not particularly popular, but it was also only suitable for children and very small adults. This looks like a way better option.