During the summer, Tesla took its S3XY lineup to Wanaka, New Zealand, to continue winter testing all year round. During those winter tests, Tesla took the Model Y’s track mode out for a spin on Wanaka’s snowy roads.
Wanaka is a small town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is surrounded by mountains of the Southern Alps and is known for its outdoor recreation, including skiing or just leisurely walking past the stunning views. Winter in Wanaka runs from June through the end of August, with an average temperature of 10°C.
Tesla Model Y Track Mode Winter Test
Tesla Model Y Performance owners have been waiting for Track Mode for a long time. Musk announced Track Mode for the Model Y Performance back in 2020, and it took some time before it was officially rolled out.
Tesla released Track Mode for the Model Y Performance during its 2022 Holiday Update. With Track Mode, Model Y Performance owners can save up to 20 driving profiles specific to a different driving scenario or track.
Tesla tested the Model Y’s Track Mode in Wanaka. The Tesla team worked hard on the feature, ensuring it is both fun and safe for Model Y drivers.
“We’re out here in New Zealand, working on Model Y Track Mode, a new development for the Model Y Performance package. So this is full oversteer. All you drifter guys are going to love this kind of setting because as soon s you just tip out, you can just rotate the car around and do pretty wild maneuvers,” said JD Price from Tesla’s testing team.
Winter Tests for the S3XY Lineup
Tesla tested all S3XY vehicles in Wanaka while it was summer in California. The team tested the cars and worked with Tesla’s team in California on software improvements for them. With Tesla’s unique software structure, the Wanaka team could test updates as soon as the California team rolled them out.
“It’s super cool to talk to people in California, send the update halfway across the world [and then] you go on top of a mountain [and] test their update. That’s something I’ve never experienced before,” said one member of the Tesla testing team.
Another member of the Wanaka team mentioned that they go to different places to test the S3XY lineup so customers can drive their cars on many kinds of terrain and surfaces through varying weather.
“We’re almost always on a proving ground, testing new software, and we run these thousands of times per software we release,” said one member of the time.
“We do everything from driving the car, writing the code, doing that collaboration. That feedback look is really quick,” elaborated another team member.
Check out Tesla’s Winter Testing video from Wanaka below!
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During the Tesla’s recent earnings call, Elon Musk confirmed that the Model Y became the world’s best-selling vehicle in 2024.
This was despite the fact that Musk himself has become a very controversial figure due to his political views.
The Model Y’s sales:
- As per Tesla’s Q4 2024 Update Letter, the Model Y was the best-selling vehicle in several markets across the globe.
- This was true for China, which holds the world’s largest and most competitive electric vehicle market.
- “In Q4, we achieved record deliveries in China as Model Y became the best-selling vehicle for the full year. Tesla also became the fastest growing brand in South Korea,” Tesla wrote.
- The Model Y also shone in several countries across Europe.
- “In 2024, Model Y was the best-selling vehicle of any type in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, and we expect Model Y to have been the second best-selling vehicle of any type in Europe.
- “Tesla was the most sold brand in Norway for the fourth year in a 9 row with Model Y and Model 3 the best- and second-best selling cars of any type in 2024,” Tesla wrote.
🙌It seems like the Tesla Model Y has done what many thought was impossible.
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 1, 2025
During the Q4 2024 earnings call, Elon Musk stated that the Model Y was the world's best-selling vehicle once more.
"Not just the best electric vehicle. The best vehicle of any kind on Earth." pic.twitter.com/wJZA2LQu4i
More Model Y potential:
- It should be noted that the Model Y was able to accomplish these sales milestones despite consumers generally knowing that an upgraded version of the vehicle was in the works.
- With the launch of the new Model Y, consumer interest in the all-electric crossover could very well become even more notable.
- The new Model Y features a more aggressive front and rear, as well as a completely revamped interior.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
A new study from the online lending service marketplace LendingTree has put a spotlight on Tesla’s popularity among car buyers looking for a luxury vehicle. From January through November 2024, the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 received the most loan inquiries from car buyers looking to acquire a luxury vehicle.
The study:
- For its study, LendingTree analyzed over 1 million auto loan inquiries for passenger vehicles from January 1 to November 30, 2024.
- To determine which luxury vehicles were most popular among car shoppers, LendingTree took a luxury vehicle make’s total number of queries and divided it by the total number of luxury vehicle queries during the study’s period.
- Carfax’s “Complete Guide to Luxury Car Brands” was used to determine which car brands were considered luxury. Tesla is included in the list.
The Model Y and Model 3’s results:
- As per LendingTree’s study, Tesla’s two mainstream vehicles attracted the top interest among car buyers looking to acquire a luxury car.
- The Tesla Model Y claimed the top spot in the study, with 6.8% of luxury vehicle loan queries being centered on the best-selling all-electric crossover.
- The Tesla Model 3 followed closely at 5.6%, which is quite impressive considering that the vehicle is a sedan.
- Overall, Tesla was the study’s second most sought-after luxury brand after BMW, though this was partly due to the company’s significantly smaller vehicle lineup.
- BMW captured 16.6% of luxury brand queries in the study, while Tesla captured 15.8%.
- This means that Tesla beat out Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, which captured 12.0% and 11.1% of luxury brand inquiries, respectively.
Why it matters:
- As per LendingTree, a good reason behind the popularity of the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 among luxury car buyers may be the vehicles’ reasonable price.
- Despite Tesla being considered a luxury brand, the Model Y and Model 3 are priced very competitively.
- The 2024 Model Y starts at a reasonable $44,990. The Model 3 is even more budget-friendly, praised by Kelley Blue Book as a “bargain among electric sedans” at its price.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
The facelifted Tesla Model Y is off to a roaring start in China, outpacing the reengineered Model 3’s reception. As per recent reports in China, orders for the new Model Y have been surging since pre-sales for the updated vehicle were opened earlier this month.
Tesla Model Y sales surge:
- In just five days following its launch, the Model Y saw over 70,000 orders, as per Chinese news outlet Yicai, citing an insider.
- Another news outlet, Jiemian, reported that the Model Y orders reached 73,400 as of January 15. From this number, 59,000 were reportedly for the updated model.
- Tesla introduced the new Model Y in China on January 10 with two variants: a rear-wheel-drive version that starts at RMB 263,500 ($36,280) and a long-range all-wheel-drive variant that starts at RMB 303,500.
- Deliveries for the new Model Y are expected to start sometime in March.
What they are saying:
- Citing an R&D source at Tesla China, Yicai stated in its report that the fast pace of Tesla’s vehicle research and development is the key to its success against veteran automakers.
- The publication’s source also noted that the new Model Y is a global product, which means that it was developed in part by the Tesla China team.
- Tesla adopted a similar strategy with the reengineered Tesla Model 3, as noted in a CNEV Post report.
- Tesla developers in China reportedly focused on the new Model Y’s interior and exterior, while the U.S. team reportedly focused on the vehicle’s software and other pertinent systems.
What’s next:
- Show cars of the new Model Y are being rolled out to Tesla’s Chinese showrooms, as confirmed by Grace Tao, Tesla’s VP of External Affairs, on Weibo.
- Images and videos shared on social media suggest that consumer interest surrounding the all-electric crossover is quite high.
- Initial feedback from automotive reviewers about the new Model Y has also been quite positive.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
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