Tesla has started selling a seven-seat version of the right-hand drive Model Y for the first time, giving weight to reports the family-friendly electric SUV could come to Australia.
In the UK, a seven-seat option is available on the mid-range Model Y Long Range all-wheel drive (AWD) for an additional £2500 ($4890), providing two additional seats behind the second row – albeit at the detriment of boot space, and with little legroom or headroom.
This marks the first appearance of the seven-seat layout in a right-hand drive example of the electric SUV, though it’s understood the UK now sources Model Ys from Germany instead of the Chinese factory that supplies Australia.
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The Model Y’s third-row seats
A seven-seat option has been offered to US buyers of the locally built Model Y Long Range AWD for almost five years, though this has – until now – remained exclusive to left-hand drive examples.
Should it come to Australia, the three-row Model Y will be one of the few electric vehicles (EVs) on sale with seven seats.
It’ll join the Kia EV9 and Mercedes-Benz EQB/EQS SUVs, as well as the Mercedes-Benz EQV and LDV MIFA 9 people movers.
Previous reports by Reuters, citing two Tesla sources, suggested Tesla’s three-row Model Y would include six seats rather than seven, and possibly result in changes being made to the dimensions of the EV.
The second row and boot of an Australian-delivered Model Y 
Last month, additional reports claimed the seven-seat Model Y would soon launch in Asia and Oceania, with Australia included.
Tesla has not yet received approval to sell a Model Y with more than five seats in Australia.
Though previous reports also claimed the three-row SUV could launch alongside the highly anticipated Model Y facelift, codenamed Juniper, due in 2025, this now appears to not be the case.
Reuters’ report added Tesla’s suppliers have been told to prepare for a “double-digit’ increase in production of the Model Y in Shanghai, though the factory is currently awaiting approval to expand by 700,000 square metres.
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