As is the case with most automakers, Tesla has opted to fine-tune its lineup of vehicles. Last year, that included the release of a new Model 3 Performance, for instance. So it isn’t surprising to see that, at least in Europe, the company recently launched a new version of another one of its vehicles, the Model Y Performance. As the name suggests, it’s a souped-up version of the standard Model Y, with the ability to go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds and a range of 580 km.
We’re not being intentionally obtuse by using the metric system — the Model Y Performance is currently only available in Europe. There’s a reason why Tesla might want to add a new high-performance vehicle in the mix overseas: as Reuters reported this week, new car sales were up in Europe in July, but that same month’s sales data saw Tesla’s rival BYD gaining ground.
It isn’t hard to see why Tesla might be focusing a new EV on the European market, where governments are not doing away with incentives to buy an EV, unlike in the United States. And at a time when Tesla’s sales on this side of the Atlantic have also taken a hit, both for new and used Teslas, adding the Model Y Performance into the mix in Europe could give the company a much-needed boost.
NHTSA Has Questions About Tesla’s Crash Data
Yet another federal investigation has been launched involving Tesla’s so-called Full Self-Driving and Autopilot featuresAs Andrew J. Hawkins reported at The Verge, Tesla faces other big challenges in the European market — specifically, EU regulators have not approved the automaker’s Full Self-Driving for use on the continent. But at a time when Tesla is “embattled on multiple fronts,” as this overview makes clear, we’ll see if this addition to its lineup helps change the company’s fortunes.
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