For the last time, Model Years are not a game, they are legal requirements. Thumbing their nose at it doesn't make Tesla a hero. It just makes it more difficult for the average consumer to ascertain what exactly a given car is. See below.
This is the strongest argument I can think of for why Tesla should "play the game", and release major updates / changes like this, concurrent with a change in Model Year. It would bother absolutely no one if the facelifted 2016 Model S was VIN'ed as a 2017, and it would give customers a more realistic view of exactly what version of the car they are buying. All the diehards here know this stuff and take it for granted, but in 2026 it's going to take Average Joe a fair bit of research to find out which 2016 Model S he is getting, and what was new with the update.
There are lots of instances where other OEMs have made big changes to a model mid-Year, and in every case it's a major pain in the ass for parts and service information, years down the road. Ram is currently selling two entirely different 2019 1500 pickups, one a full generation older than the other, which dates back to 2006! The Japanese and the Europeans in particular are find of making big changes midyear which are not widely publicized, and many people buying a new car off the lot simply don't have any idea they're not getting the latest and greatest.
You can be proud of Tesla not "playing the game" by acknowledging major updates with a Model Year change but in my view it does consumers a disservice.
