Model Y SUV to be Tesla's best-seller
Model 3-based SUV to be unveiled this year, on sale late 2019Tesla is set to unveil its most important car later this year when the drapes come off an all-new compact SUV.
Thought to be called the Model Y, the all-new pure-electric SUV will rival cars like the Audi Q5.
Positioned to sit above the Model 3 in the range, it's rumoured the Model Y will be priced from about $US45,000 ($A60,000).
On sale late 2019 or early 2020, the Model Y is set to come with both the bigger Model X 'falcon wing' doors and Tesla's controversial semi-autonomous cruise control,
.The small SUV's self-driving tech includes as many as eight cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and a new forward-facing radar system that can work in extreme weather conditions like heavy rain and fog.
According to the British mag, the new computer controlling the car's self-driving functions will be 40 times more powerful than the system that runs the current Tesla's driverless ability.
Unfortunately, the cost of the new self-driving technology is likely to be covered by the customer, according to reports - in the form of a costly £7000 (A$11,000) optional extra for the Tesla Autopilot suite.
Since it's based on the small pure-electric sedan's platform, the entry-level Model Y is certain to share its electric motors with the same 60kWh lithium ion battery packs as the sedan.
This should provide the cheapest SUV with a range of around 370km.
The arrival of the SUV, along with its first mainstream car, the Model 3, are tipped to finally push Tesla into profit.
Last year the US car maker sold just 76,000 vehicles. This year it is expected to manufacture more than 100,000 Model 3s, alone, in a rush to satisfy orders for the 400,000 deposits placed for the pure-electric 3 Series-rival.
By 2019, Tesla will build more than 500,000 cars a year, its founder, Elon Musk, claims.
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