A comeback is coming for Tesla Model Y sales after a break between old and new models, which saw deliveries hit a new low last month.
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Deliveries of the Tesla Model Y have hit an all-time low in Australia – down 76 per cent year-on-year – as part of the brand’s slowest month for new-car deliveries in close to three years.
But the US car giant says the cavalry is right around the corner, as deliveries of the updated Model Y are days away from commencing in Australia, including an almost-sold-out run of Launch Series special editions.
Last week set a record for Tesla test drives in Australia, and the company is confident in strong demand for the new version of its historical top seller.
A dry-up of stock of the outgoing Model Y meant just 280 examples were reported as delivered in April 2025 – its lowest result since arriving in local showrooms in late 2022 – but last year's sales were already down 26 per cent.
"There's obviously a lot of complexities involved in that demand," Tesla Australia country director Thom Drew told Drive at the Everything Electric show in March.
"If we could tell you the order numbers we've got from this, we're actually in a really healthy position. I look forward to May when we can actually relay that information, and back it up."
Now in May, Drew told Drive Tesla has seen "a lot of interest" in its new SUV.
"When we launched orders back in January, we had an enormous response to the launch edition. … We've only just started test drives in the last couple of weeks. The boat's been slowly making its way around the country.
"And now we're seeing that kind of second wave come through, and seeing a lot of interest. I think we had a record test drive week, last week, in our entire history. So yeah, [we’re] seeing some really strong interest."
Online speculation has suggested controversy surrounding Tesla CEO Elon Musk has dragged down the company’s vehicle deliveries, but only once Model Y deliveries ramp up will its true impact be known.
The overwhelming majority of outgoing Model Ys were entry-level Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) versions, as the cheapest model in the range, and – when they were available – eligible for government incentives on electric-car purchases.
"Typically, with both of our products, that [RWD focus] seems to be it. The Performance was around 5 per cent or so [with the remainder Long Range variants]," Drew said.
"The launch edition skewed that somewhat. The long range was a really good value proposition for those in the know, around the acceleration boost that was included with that.
"So that skewed that number up, but I very much expect it to normalise back to the majority being RWD."
Tesla reported just 500 vehicle deliveries last month, and while a changeover from old to new Model Ys has played a key role in the number, just 220 Model 3 sedans were reported as leaving showrooms – its lowest result since October 2022.
Model 3 deliveries are down 67 per cent year-to-date, and 76 per cent last month, though this time last year Tesla saw a surge in arrivals as it rolled out the facelifted model, after delays due to a compliance breach exposed by Drive.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
