The Tesla Model Y became Earth’s best-selling vehicle partly because of its low price, particularly when combined with federal tax incentives. But it just grew more expensive with no explanation.
Tesla has removed the base Model Y from its website. We’d ask for an explanation, but the company no longer operates a public relations department or answers reporters’ questions.
The move doesn’t just affect preorders. The base model has even disappeared from the company’s listing of prebuilt inventory available for delivery.
The base Model Y cost just $47,740 in July and was eligible for federal EV tax credits that cut that price by $7,500.
With it gone from the lineup, the least-expensive available Model Y, the Long Range model, starts at $50,490 before federal incentives. Many states also offer discounts that may cut the effective price.
Why the change? Tesla won’t say, but Motor Trend notes that the base model “Of the three Model Y variants previously available, the now-gone Dual Motor, all-wheel-drive base version is the only one that is assembled at Tesla’s Giga Texas factory in Austin.”
Tesla plans to use that factory to produce its upcoming Cybertruck, which appears close to production at last. The company may be freeing up resources to build the pickup.
