Tesla Model Y plans tipped 'aggressive' with 2019 production launch

By Brittany Roston/April 11, 2018 4:18 pm EST

Tesla will start production for its Model Y crossover SUV next November, according to sources, who say production will take place at the company's Fremont, California plant. The automaker has reportedly started taking preliminary bids from suppliers regarding the model, though details given to those suppliers are described as "scant." The Model Y's China production will start two years later, the sources claim.READ: Tesla Model Y: Elon Musk just had a huge rethink

The information comes from Reuters, which says it received word from a couple sources who know details of the supply chain. The Model Y is set to be a companion to the Model 3, deliveries for which having started back in July. The company has since experienced delays resulting, in part, from manufacturing bottlenecks; Model Y production threatens to further strain Tesla's resources.

The sources claim that Tesla has proceeded with a Request for Information (RFI) given to suppliers, alerting them to what the automaker needs. The suppliers, based on what they know, can then compete with each other to get the business. The two-year timeframe for the alleged start of production is described as aggressive by one source, but still possible.

Company CEO Elon Musk said last year during a financial results call that the Model Y, "will, in fact, be using substantial carry-over from Model 3, in order to bring it to market faster." That referring to his previous ambitions for the vehicle, which would have involved basing on it on an all-new architecture. It may be the shared platform between the Model 3 and Model Y that enables Tesla to hit this tipped aggressive timeframe.

The company's production goals for the Model Y are still unclear, though Musk stated earlier this year that Tesla was aiming for an annual production capacity of 1 million Model Y vehicles. However, sources indicate that suppliers may be estimating at half that annual output with much smaller production targets in China.

SOURCE: Reuters