Tesla has shared the first image of the Model Y – a compact electric SUV – during a shareholder meeting at the Computer History Museum in California.
The picture (see main image) doesn't tell us much, other than the fact the car will feature headlights and a windscreen – but you already knew that anyway. However, the shadowy snapshot does shed some light on the shape of the car, which seems to retain the sleek design of previous Tesla models.
A closer examination of the teased picture also reveals that the Model Y doesn't seem to have any wing mirrors. That's not a massive surprise: Tesla originally wanted to ship the Model X without side mirrors, arguing that the use of cameras offered a more practical and elegant solution to traditional wing mirrors. However, the company wasn't allowed to proceed with this due to regulators.
It seems as though the company is taking another shot at wing mirror removal with the Model Y, so it will be interesting to see how customers respond to the move. If successful, it's possible that more mainstream car manufacturers could adopt a similar technology for their own vehicles.
According to Tesla, the Model Y is a smaller spin-off of the Tesla Model X, a full-size electric SUV that was announced back in 2012 and began shipping in late 2015. Tesla also has an upcoming all-electric four-door compact sedan called the Tesla Model 3, which has received between 400,000 and 500,000 reservations and is due to enter production in July 2017.
