-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Any Model Y with new projector headlights in the USA?
- Thread starter ratsbew
- Start date
Took delivery of my MYLR AWD yesterday, 3/15, build date of 3/12/21, still have the old headlights.
I wonder if there is any re-tooling needed for the new headlights (like a different wiring harness or something). If that is the case they may need to pause production of the LR to do the switch. Doubt they would do that during an end of quarter push. If all the wiring is the same, then it will just be that one day they run out of old ones and start popping in new ones.
bluenycom
Member
I doubt that re tooling is needed since the MYP is produced on the same assembly line, just at different batches at a time. Likely it's just different parts (harnesses, control unit, ect)
casey1202
Member
Exactly. Ultimately a SA is a salesperson first and foremost so their priorities will always be clearing inventory and making quotas.
casey1202
Member
You could be right but Tesla has been very upfront about the MY and M3 sharing 70% of their platforms and I can’t imagine the wiring and harnesses are different in the MYP versus the LR. I still think it’s just a waiting game for them to exhaust the supply of the old lights.
Here's a tweet I sent to Elon 5 years ago. I'll take partial credit for these new headlights and this is why I'm waiting for them:
I have a LR, 7-seat Y on order and was hoping for new headlights. My VIN is now assigned (146xxx) and my delivery is March 30. I asked my SA about the lights and he said that the decision to put them only on performance was, in his words, “permanent” per a “field update” that the dealership received. I have my doubts that’s true but I’m passing it along. I was on the fence about accepting the delivery or not, based on lights, but I’ve decided to just take it. I’m sure as soon as it’s in the driveway I’ll read the first report of a LR with new lights.
From their perspective it would be stupid to tell customers “oh yeah, the new lights are due out any day now, we only have to burn through a couple more pallets of the old ones”. Sure, maybe it is a permanent thing, but that just doesn’t make sense from a manufacturing stand point. I am not saying the SA is lying, I feel like they are in the dark as much as we are.
I surely hope this is not so. And I think we all know that for Tesla, "permanent" means little more than "permanent until we change it which could be any time now".
This is kind of important to me and it's delaying my purchase. I'd be willing to buy it as maybe a $500 to $1k option, or I'd be happy if they clarified an official upgrade path. But I first intended to get an SR, delayed mostly over the headlight thing and got caught out. Now looking at +$9k for the LR, well, OK, but not +$20k for MYP. I will wait a bit longer.
The LR M3 gets them, but not the Y long range. Seems like an odd choice for the portfolio.
It does make perfect since. Many manufacturers sell multiple trim levels and "electronic group" addons. If Tesla wants to keep the manufacturing cost of the non-performance model lower, it doesnt get the lights.
What do you think the price difference is between the 2 lights? If Tesla's goal is to keep the Y LR under $50k to keep it within tax credit incentive levels, and competitive... adding $3,000 lights doesnt make financial sense.
I agree; if it were my company, I’d sure switch the whole lineup.
It’s a hard decision whether to wait for them or not. Apparently the “old” lights are excellent so it’s not like I need to wait in order to get decent lights. It’s a case of great and greater. If I really knew it was just another month, I’d probably wait. But, while I do think they’ll all eventually have them, I’m not completely sure and even if they do, it may be a year or more. And then apparently government regulations will need to change to make them really shine (pun intended).
So, in my judgement and in my case (car pick-uppable in just over a week), it seems best to just buy now. I think.
Tesla knows that the LR Y will sell regardless. They are simply using up the stock in them until three is none left other than spares for warranty and collision repairs.
I thought I replied but it didn’t show up. Forgive me if this shows up twice.
One thing to ponder is the difference in handling of new lights on 3 vs Y. On the 3, all the models got the lights seemingly at the same time. On the Y, it is clear that the strategy is different: Performance first (or only, depending on who you ask).
My point is that, given the different handling of 3 vs Y, maybe it is in fact true that for the foreseeable future only the Performance will get the lights, not just until stocks run out. Maybe it’s on purpose for some reason we don’t grasp.
Tesla doesn’t do option upsells or trims in the same way other manufacturers do. They increase their margin with range and performance upsells. Plus they have talked about simplifying product lines. The difference in price for the headlights from their suppliers is probably minimal. It isn’t even a widely advertised change.
I think the biggest argument for the new lights eventually is that the lowest trim on the model 3 have them. If it was a way to increase the margin on a lower trim, the model 3 would keep the old lights.
casey1202
Member
Exactly. Based on everything we know about how the Tesla production lines work, it just makes no sense they’d roll the new lights out to every M3 and the MYP but keep buying the older ones for the MY LR. That basically defeats all the cost and efficiency advantages of buying parts in bulk.
Tesla has trim levels, they just abandon 50% of them before they make it to market.
They also have a plethora of "customizables" with several price ranges. The majority of their package groups are however software upgrades.
They really arent that different than a lot of car manufacturing businesses. I have a hypothesis, MY LR wont see the new headlights any time soon, because they want the base model under 50k and still have a stockholder palatable profit margin. The lights got nickle and dimed from the model.
The only thing I could think of is compliance for the European market since I believe they were shipping 3’s but not Y’s. So on the 3 line it makes sense to simplify the supply and ease of shipping the 3’s abroad. The Y’s it’s not a big deal since it stays in North America. So they’re content to use the existing supply on the LR Y.
How big that existing supply is the question? Also, is there a cost savings on the older headlights to justify maintaining that supply for a single North American trim? Probably not, so the first question remains on how much is left.
Similar threads
