The Tesla Model Y rear-wheel drive version, which is the brand’s most affordable crossover, is now available in either the Midnight Cherry Red or Quicksilver colours, indicating that the Berlin-Brandenburg Gigafactory in Germany has started manufacturing this particular trim level.
Previously, these two colours – which are only available for cars produced in Germany, where Tesla has installed its most advanced paint shop – were accessible only for the Model Y Long Range and Performance variants, as the base rear-wheel-drive version was imported from China to Europe for customers on the Old Continent, similar to what Tesla is doing on the Canadian market.
The base Model Y costs €44,890 in Germany (£44,990 in UK), and the only free colour option is Pearl White. Quicksilver costs €3,000, while Midnight Cherry Red has a €3,200 asking price. Tesla also offers Solid Black for €1,200 and Deep Blue Metallic for €1,600, making for a slightly different colour palette, compared to what’s available in North America.
Here, the Austin-based automaker recently changed the colour options for the Model 3 and Model Y, replacing the ubiquitous Pearl White Multi-Coat with Midnight Silver Metallic as the free colour. Now, going for white or Deep Blue Metallic costs an additional $1,000, while Solid Black costs $1,500 and Red Multi-Coat adds $2,000 to the MSRP.
Furthermore, the rear-wheel drive Model Y isn’t available in the United States, as it’s only manufactured at the Giga Shanghai and Giga Berlin facilities, so it doesn’t qualify for the $7,500 tax incentive for locally-made EVs.
As a result, American customers have to choose from three all-wheel drive versions. The base trim starts at $47,740, the Long Range goes for $50,490, and the Performance has an MSRP of $54,490 (before government and local incentives).
Tesla first announced the Quicksilver and Midnight Cherry Red paint colors back in October 2022, when the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, said that the German Gigafactory paint shop was specially built “to apply many fine layers of paint, giving it complexity not otherwise possible.”
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Source: Tesla via @SawyerMerritt (Twitter)