Model Y VINs have been registered with the NHTSA. When Tesla did the same for the Model 3, customer deliveries for the vehicle were just about a month away. Tesla may be keeping its conservative stance and timelines for the Model Y, but more and more signs are emerging that the crossover’s production and deliveries may be around the corner.
Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) indicate several vital pieces of information about a vehicle, such as when it was produced, where it was manufactured, its specific trim, and some of its most notable features. Tesla Motors Club member wreese shared recent VINs which corresponded to release candidates of the Model Y, one of which appears to be a Performance trim.
Model Y officially registered with NHTSA for VIN tracking https://t.co/uLwSgOK5xd
— Tesla Owners Online (@Model3Owners) January 15, 2020
Very little has been disclosed by Tesla about its Model Y ramp, though the company has been showing signs that the crossover’s launch will likely be smoother compared to its sedan sibling. From the get-go, Tesla has announced the Model Y with a late 2020 release date, a conservative estimate that has since been moved up to mid-2020.
Yet, with numerous release candidates being spotted on the roads, and now VINs being registered with the NHTSA, Tesla seems to be trying to release the Model Y to the market even sooner. Elon Musk also launched the Model Y program in China’s Gigafactory 3 in early January, which further fuels the speculation that the crossover’s release could be around the corner for the electric car maker’s customers in the United States.
One key aspect of the Model Y ramp that could play into Tesla’s favor is the company’s experience with the Model 3. The Model Y and Model 3 share 75 percent of their components, so the production process of the two vehicles will likely be similar as well. Fortunately for the Model Y, the Model 3’s lines have already been refined by Tesla, and a lot of it was due to challenges and difficulties that the company faced in the past.
Lol... "Storm". The person who wrote this headline needs to visit Newfoundland https://t.co/3vgMd16ZyY
— Jamie Cashin (@va3jme) January 16, 2020
The Model 3 ramp was a painful process for Tesla and CEO Elon Musk as the company had to modify its strategy on the go. Musk had initially announced incredibly aggressive targets for Model 3 production, and a lot of it rode on the success of a hyper-automated assembly line. This turned out to be a miscalculation on Tesla’s part, which resulted in the company regrouping its strategy while it was trying to mass manufacture the Model 3.
Considering that Tesla is a company that continually evolves and learns from its mistakes, there is a good chance that the Model Y ramp will be a lot smoother compared to the company’s previous vehicles. In fact, Elon Musk already shared that Tesla was working on improving the machines making the MIC Model Y. If Tesla has indeed found a way to improve its assembly line for the Model Y in general, an even more significant disruption of the automotive industry may be coming soon.
