Folks, the cheap Tesla is here. Well, it really isn't, but Tesla wants you to think it is. You see, the Austin, Texas-based automaker just launched a stripper version of its best-selling Model Y electric crossover that it is calling the Model Y Standard, and there's a whole lot of not much to talk about.
The rear-wheel-drive Standard car has 321 miles of range thanks to a smaller battery (down from 357 miles in the Premium RWD Model Y), a 125-mph top speed, and a 6.8-second 0-60 time (1.4 seconds slower), according to Tesla. Now, this isn't the mythical $25,000 car CEO Elon Musk has been promising us for years. Instead, this thing will cost over 40 grand. To be exact, the Model Y Standard comes in at $41,630, including destination. That's just $5,000 cheaper than the Premium Model y. I promise you, with the amount of features Musk and his engineers just pulled out of the Model Y, it should carry a much bigger discount than five grand. Let's dig in.
Tesla's website doesn't explicitly say how the company cut costs when creating the Model Y Standard, but a quick look at some images on its configurator makes it pretty evident. It loses the facelifted Model Y's LED lightbar and gets a simpler front bumper, and the weird rear projector taillight is gone as well. There are smaller 18-inch wheels (19s are an option), and the Model Y Standard only comes in three colors: grey, white, and black, the latter two of which are $1,000 and $1,500 options. It also loses the panoramic glass roof that is standard on all other Model Ys, although the glass is still there — Tesla just added a headliner and sound deadening underneath it, which was apparently the cheaper way to do it than by actually designing a new roof, according to Car and Driver.
Along with the deteriorated range thanks to a smaller, 69.5-kWh battery, you're also not going to be able to charge up as quickly. Tesla says you'll be able to add 160 miles of range at a Supercharger in 15 minutes, versus 182 miles in the Premium. The Model Y Standard's slower 0-60 time also comes from the fact that it's making only 300 hp, C/D says.
On the inside is where things get gnarly. The only available audio system is a seven-speaker unit; all other Model Ys get 15 speakers and a subwoofer. The discerning Model Y Standard driver will also have to do without an FM/AM radio. No, I'm not joking. Rear occupants will also have to do without the eight-inch touchscreen, though front-row passengers get the same 15.4-incher as the Model Y Premium. Oh, and just to add insult to injury, there's no ambient lighting, the seats have textile inserts, and the steering wheel is now manually adjustable! The humanity. Here are a few more things you lose out on in the name of saving $5,000:
I'm sure there are even more, but that's what Tesla is willing to tell the general public about. I know losing out on the $7,500 federal EV tax credit hurts for a lot of folks who were hoping to buy EVs, but decontented schlock like this and the Model 3 Standard are not the answer — especially when good, cheap EVs already exist in the world. Feel free to add the Model Y Standard to the listen of Musk's broken promises. I'm sure Musk's fans will treat this car like its his "Folklore," but I promise you, this is his "Life of a Showgirl."