Tesla is expanding the reach of its first family-focused mass-market SUV, but it’s not coming to the United States. The Tesla Model Y L is heading to Japan.
The Tesla Model Y L is quite a unique vehicle in the carmaker’s lineup. As previously noted, it’s Tesla’s first family-focused offering. For $48,500 (in China), it’s a 2-2-2 seater that can fit up to six people in a more spacious and luxurious interior. It has an 88.2 kWh battery with 456 horsepower, along with an adaptive suspension system that adjusts to road conditions in real-time to make the ride a lot smoother. The 0 to 60 is a bit slower than other Tesla models (not that it matters) at 5 seconds. It really feels more family-friendly rather than an attempt to show off how fast EVs can be.
Autoblog wrote: “On the road, the Model Y L feels like a more mature version of the standard Model Y. The extra length helps smooth out the ride and gives it a more composed, less responsive feel on imperfect roads.”
Meant to replace the now-discontinued Model X, the Model Y L is a more luxurious option with greater range, aiming to continue dominating the family SUV segment in Asia. Some are wondering if we will get it in the States, but I’m wondering why they even want it.
Will the Tesla Model Y L ever come to the United States?
The Model Y L first debuted in China in the summer of 2025. It saw strong demand, accounting for 27% of the country’s Model Y sales last year. Weekly registrations were apparently reaching 4,000 buyers. It then headed to Australia and New Zealand. Now, the Model Y L is coming to eight markets across Asia, including Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, and the Philippines.
So far, the Tesla Model Y L has not reached Western markets. It received approval for Europe last year, but still has no launch date. It was spotted at the “Giga Factory” thing down in Texas, but Elon Musk said it would not arrive in the United States until late 2026 — then added a cryptic “if ever” comment. He then said there was some kind of “CyberSUV” plan, with Musk tweeting that it would be “way cooler” than a minivan. However, I think we’ve learned by now not to listen to Musk, especially not on X. Or Tesla at all, for that matter, unless you want to get seriously injured.
Not a Tesla App spotted some strange, extended Cybertruck-like SUVs in a Tesla video a while ago. When Tesla was asked about the peculiar vehicles in the background, Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen said we’d have to “wait and see.” It sounds exciting, if you still are somehow enamored by Tesla vehicles, but Musk has been hinting about a large minivan-type vehicle for almost a decade.
At this point, I’d say it’s a complete mystery if America is getting the Tesla Model Y L, or if we are going to get some ungodly monstrous Tesla Cybertruck L thing instead. If we’re lucky, we will get neither.
