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I'm calling it early – the Tesla Model Y's time as Australia's best-selling electric vehicle is coming to an end. And no, I don't think the refreshed Juniper is going to save it.
Interestingly, it's not just that Elon Musk has gone from climate-worrier (if not full warrior) to a certified MAGA man, and that his public image is becoming so engulfed in flames it's becoming hard to keep up with it all.
Though you can bet your bottom dollar that ain't helping.
2025 Tesla Model Y production starts at Shanghai Gigafactory with interesting design quirk, as BYD Sealion 7 and Kia EV5 rival's Australian launch edges closer
Here it is! 2025 Tesla Model Y update revealed with new looks and more driving range as it gears up to fight off challengers such as the Xpeng G6, Deepal S07 and Kia EV5
It's more that the once bulletproof aura that surrounded Tesla – a brand that could do absolutely no wrong in the eyes of the faithful – is starting to show signs of cracking, and China is ready to pounce.
The thought struck me as I spent an EV-heavy couple of weeks climbing in and out of the Xpeng G6, the Geely EX5 and the BYD Sealion 7. Because they are very good, very cheap and don't carry the same obvious baggage of a new Tesla.
Yes, we can argue that China is no model global citizen, but before you do, remember that Tesla builds its Australia-bound cars there, too.
Chinese brands move at a lightning pace, rolling out new models to tap into new markets before you can blink. Tesla, on the other hand, rides a rollercoaster of broken promises, with just a two-model lineup in Australia, and some vague suggestions of Cybertaxis, Model 2s, Roadsters and more, none of which are showing any signs of turning up anytime soon.
Global sales are falling, domestic sales are falling, and Musk doesn't appear to have the answers, at least not publicly. Instead he says he sees a path to Tesla becoming the world's most valuable company. But it would seem only he has the coordinates.
And when we do finally get new metal from Tesla, it's a refreshed version of a now ageing Model Y – admittedly with key changes to the way it looks, drives and how far it travels – which has pushed the prices well above what any of the above Chinese mid-size SUVs above are asking.
I know that some Tesla owners seem to have mistaken their vehicle for an identity, and as such will gladly die on a Musk mountain or molehill, but others aren't anywhere near as wedded to the brand, and I can tell you that some of the competition isn't just cheaper, but in some ways it is better, too.
And that sets a clock ticking against the Model Y.
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