Elon Musk Closes Doors For Tesla Model Y L With 6 Seat Variants Can Enter US Market

Tesla Model Y L. (Doc. Tesla)

JAKARTA The presence of the Tesla Model Y L in China, which is a bigger version of the standard with six seats, is considered by many to be able to boost the decline in sales of Tesla cars in a number of markets.

The initial sale of the variant assembled at the Tesla plant in Shanghai was carried out amid intense competition from domestic EV manufacturers such as BYD and Xiaomi. With prices ranging from 339,000 yuan in China (around Rp766 million), Model Y L offers a number of significant updates both in terms of exterior and interior, with deliveries scheduled to start in September.

But Tesla CEO Elon Musk hinted that this model may never be produced in the United States (US). This decision, according to Musk, is based on the rapid development of autonomous vehicle technology (swakemudi) in the US.

In his response on social media X, reported by Reuters on Thursday, August 21, Musk stated that this Model Y L will not start production in the US until the end of next year. Maybe never, given the emergence of self-driving in America.

Musk did not explain in detail how the progress of self-driving vehicles would eliminate the need for six-seat vehicles. However, this step is in line with Tesla's ambition to focus more on robotic taxi services (robotaxi).

Dikeahui, Tesla telah meluncurkan layanan robotaxi terbatas di Austin pada bulan Juni dan menargetkan untuk memperluas operasinya hingga meliputi setengak populasi AS pada akhir tahun ini. Musk sendiri pernah berujar kepada para investor bahwa membangun kendaraan konvensi akan menjadi "sia-sia di masa depan yang berwakemudi. Tahun depan, Tesla dijadwalkan akan memulai produksi Cybercab, sebuah model robotaxi khusus dua kursi tanpa rod dan pedal.

On the other hand, gasoline-powered SUVs with three rows of seats have long been the favorites of American families. However, making a profitable three-line EV is still a challenge for automotive manufacturers.

In addition, Tesla is also preparing to launch a cheaper Model Y variant by the end of this year, which Musk describes as "only Model Y".