Tesla launches new Model Y in China, but it's not what you think

Tesla China just started selling a new Model Y, but it's not as big of an upgrade as the recent Model 3 refresh.

The new version of Model Y has the same exterior design, though the standard "Gemini" wheels are now painted black (instead of silver and black). A reminder: The recently updated Model 3 refresh has new headlights and tail lights, among other changes.

Inside, the refreshed Model Y does inherit some (but not all) traits of the updated Model 3; for example, it has an LED ambient lighting stripe alongside the dashboard. The main display appears unchanged, and the additional, rear display for back passenger is missing.

The LED stripe is here, but the display appears to be the same as in the previous version. Credit: Tesla China

The specs are slightly different, too. The base model, for example, has a 554 kilometer (up from 545 km) range, and a 5.9 second 0-100 kmh time (down from 6.9 seconds). The long range variant has a maximum range of 688 km, up from 600 km.

The pricing has remained exactly the same, with Model Y starting at 263,900 yuan ($36,743).

Is this upgraded Model Y the rumored "Project Juniper" update? Probably not. That car will probably have more extensive exterior and interior changes, likely similar to what we've seen on the new Model 3. The Model Y currently being sold in China is probably some sort of transition model, giving customers a few more reasons to buy the car until Juniper hits the market in 2024.

SEE ALSO: Tesla dropped the prices of its Model S and X EVs

It's unclear whether we'll see this slightly upgraded Model Y outside of China. Tesla CEO Elon Musk hasn't mentioned it, and it's not available in Tesla's U.S. online store.