Even more imagery of the Model Y Juniper has been spotted, this time in Spain rather than the US. These new shots have even more detail than the last ones we saw, so we’re excited to take a peek and see what we can determine.
We’re pretty sure that Juniper will be announced later this month. A new report out of China states that the vehicle will be available before the Chinese New Year, which falls on January 29th this year. Deliveries are expected the following month at the earliest, according to the report.
Front
The front imagery reveals that this isn’t just another Model Y with custom modifications kicking about. These lines are reminiscent of the design concepts we previously showed and fairly different than the current Model Y.
Look at the center of the grill area, you'll note a tell-tale bump for the camera housing.
Not a Tesla App
One of the key images here is this zoomed-in shot of the front bumper. You’ll notice there is a slightly offset piece that is being covered up by the bumper cling. Given previous images and what we’ve already heard about Juniper coming with a front bumper camera, this seems to be even more of an indication that Tesla’s refreshed vehicles will all host a bumper camera.
It is by and far one of the most popular features of the Cybertruck, and we see no reason for Tesla not to bring it to its entire vehicle lineup over time.
Side
The side shot is fairly similar to the current Model Y. It features the same updated door design that’s available on the new Model 3. It also appears to have a slightly tweaked side mirror, which isn’t available on the Model 3.
It retains the ever-popular Model Y shape and size.
Not a Tesla App
Rear
The rear ends of Teslas are always fairly distinctive, enough that once you’ve seen a few, you can spot the tell-tale taillights from a few blocks away. And the Juniper’s tail will likely also be very unique. This first image, taken at an angle, provides a bit of a peek into the rear side brake lights and what appears to be a white bar over either edge.
The rear side shot.
Not a Tesla App
However, this second image is the most clear image we’ve ever had of the new rear camera on the Juniper. It is very different from the current Model Y’s camera position - raised up and on the lip of the trunk flare rather than underneath it. It’s much more similar to what we saw on the Robotaxi.
Note the bumper camera on the camoflaged lip.
Not a Tesla App
One thing is for certain - Tesla wouldn’t change camera positions without a good reason for it. That requires training an entirely new FSD and Autopark model to account for the updated camera position. This is likely an optimization for both the new style, and to reduce road grime, mud, dust, and water from sticking to the camera.
There is no sign of a rear camera washer, which is a bit of a disappointment, given how easily the cameras tend to get dirty.
Either way, with Juniper being spotted now in Europe, China, and North America, it seems we’re getting very close to an actual release. Tesla has also been emptying their Model Y inventory globally, with very few Model Ys available in inventory at most locations.
What’s interesting about some of these new details is that it appears the Model Y is diverging from the design elements of the Model 3. It appears it’ll include a rear and front light bar, similar to the Cybertruck, different mirrors and potentially different tail lights as well. While we all expect the interior to be similar to the new Model 3, it wouldn’t be surprising if it comes with some unique attributes as well. See our rumor roundup for even more details on the upcoming Model Y redesign.
We’re super excited for the launch of the new Model Y, as it’ll be a refresh to the world’s best-selling vehicle - and that’s not a small feat to upgrade. All imagery is courtesy of the Spanish Outlet motor.es.
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Tesla has had a long history with Swedish Unions. IF Metall, a Swedish Metalworkers Union, has been involved in a labor dispute against Tesla for over a year now, with the strike beginning back in October 2023.
The core issue lies in Tesla’s refusal to sign a collective bargaining agreement with IF Metall. In Sweden, these are the norm. However, Tesla compensates its workers well, and it seems that many of its employees in Sweden don’t even want to sign the collective agreement—they would be losing out on a lot. Employees have banded together to wear vests that say “Tack, det ӓr bra” - “Thanks, I’m good” in response to the unionization efforts.
Tesla does not have any unions in any of its facilities across the world - and signing one in Sweden would be a massive change. United Autoworkers in the US (UAW) has also been working towards establishing an autoworkers union in Tesla, but it has never really taken off.
Previous Impacts
The strike originally targeted just Tesla’s service centers but quickly grew beyond that. IF Metall expanded the strike to include painters, suppliers, electricians, postal workers, and many other unionized bodies within Sweden. Hydro Extrusions, a notable Tesla supplier, lost its primary contract with Tesla due to the strike in early 2024.
Sympathy strikes have also impacted the mailing of registrations and license plates for new Tesla owners, which led to a lawsuit against IF Metall and other unions involved.
Superchargers Unpowered
Now, the latest impact of the strike has left 100 Tesla Supercharger stalls across six different sites unpowered. All these sites have been permitted, built, and fully set up. Now, the last step is to just power them on.
This step lies in the hands of one of the unions working for local electricity companies - who are conducting sympathy strikes against Tesla. Max de Zegher, Tesla’s Director of Charging, previously commented that not enabling these Supercharger stations will leave EV drivers struggling over the Holiday period.
And that prediction has come true. Nicklas, a Swede who has been covering the dispute on X, recorded a video of the few Supercharger stations that are working - where Tesla vehicles are lined up waiting to charge.
Teslas (mostly) in the middle of 🇸🇪Sweden waiting in line at a Superchargerstation in Malung. Can you count how many there are in line?
Max commented again on the situation, pointing out that it's not just Tesla drivers suffering - this impacts other EV drivers in Sweden as well. Tesla’s Supercharger network in Europe uses the CCS2 standard and is open to other electric vehicles as well.
Tesla vehicles and other EVs are now either lined up and waiting for long charge queues or being diverted to third-party sites, many of whom are unable to keep up with the Holiday travel impacts and whose uptimes are nowhere near the 99.99% availability that the Supercharger network provides.
We’re hoping to see a positive resolution to this strike, as it seems the employees of Tesla want no part of the union, but the union wishes to insert themselves into the equation anyway.
Since November 2024, Tesla has quietly trialed a new direct-to-consumer part sales program. The original program launched with only a few items: windshield wipers, air filters, license plate brackets, and low-voltage batteries (16V only).
The program has clearly seen some initial success, and Tesla has now begun to expand it even further.
Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog
Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog (EPC) now allows users to order individual parts or complete assemblies for various vehicle parts.
Previously, users were required to either visit or schedule service with Tesla Service to order parts, even if Tesla wouldn’t be the one installing them. The other option was to be an approved business, like a body shop or mechanic, which would be allowed to order directly from Tesla’s EPC.
Now, certain parts with a shopping cart icon in the EPC can be purchased directly online using your Tesla account. You can even order parts for vehicles you don’t own - so if you want to buy a Model S Brake Caliper Service Kit without owning a Model S, you can now do so.
Tesla points out these changes on pages that have orderable parts with the text: “EPC now supports direct-to-customer online ordering for a subset of parts (to be expanded with future releases).”
Part Availability & Shipping
Shipping is currently only available to addresses in the United States, but we expect Tesla to roll this out in other countries in the future.
Parts can be ordered individually or in batches if you have a larger repair or replacement to be made. Part availability is subject to what has been officially made available by Tesla, as well as general availability. For now, there’s only a small subset of parts that are orderable, such as brake rotors and other similar parts. If you need to replace something more complex, you’ll still need to put in a ticket with Tesla Service through the app to get it ordered.
Cybertruck Parts
Additionally, no parts are available for the Cybertruck for the time being. We expect this is due to a lack of part availability for the Cybertruck while Tesla continues to ramp production. This will likely change in the coming months as Tesla continues to both expand Cybertruck production and make more parts available on the EPC.
Right to Repair
This is a great change for Tesla and helps address an issue some potential buyers have — the right to repair. Tesla has slowly been marching toward this goal by first making Service Mode available to everyone, opening up their EPC, adding Vehicle Maintenance History, and continually improving their Service Mode and service manuals.
Over the last few years, Apple has faced pressure over the right for consumers to repair their own devices. When you have a product with a lot of proprietary parts, like Apple or Tesla, you need to build tools to help consumers and third-party service centers repair devices. It seems that Tesla is well ahead of the curve here, which will help them avoid any future legal issues.
Teslas already don’t need much maintenance, and what they do need is already fairly easy to work on. Service manuals, as well as awesome new features like the Cybertruck’s interactive wiring diagram in Service Mode, make them one of the easiest electric vehicles to work on. You can check out Tesla’s Electronic Parts Catalog here.
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