Tesla is teasing a major announcement for Australia and New Zealand for this Friday, which is exciting a lot of Tesla owners in the region. While Tesla has remained tight-lipped about the details, the timing and context point to two possibilities.
Tesla will either launch FSD (Supervised) in the region or launch the brand-new 6-seater Model Y L in the two countries. Both would be hugely significant for the region. One would expand FSD outside of North America and China and into a right-hand drive country for the first time. While the other would introduce a highly anticipated variant of the Model Y, built for families.
Update: Tesla has now confirmed that Australia and New Zealand will gain FSD capability for HW4 vehicles.
The Case for FSD
For years, the arrival of FSD in Australia and New Zealand has been a question of when, not if, especially following Tesla’s demonstrations of FSD working in Sydney, and confirming that there would be an upcoming rollout to the two countries in the future.
Tesla’s video featuring FSD being tested on the streets of Sydney was followed by the confirmation from a regional executive that FSD was just in the final stretch of regulatory hurdles.
The launch of FSD in the region would instantly upgrade the capability of every modern Tesla on the road, taking them from the basic Autopilot capabilities to a system capable of navigating complex city streets, intersections, and roundabouts. It’d be a much more drastic update than FSD in North America, where the improvements to Autopilot and FSD were gradual and came over time.
Tesla would likely launch on HW4 vehicles first, followed by the older HW3 vehicles, once safety and regulatory compliance have been confirmed.
FSD is, without a doubt, the most anticipated feature for any Tesla owner that doesn’t have access to it today.
The Case for the Model Y L
While FSD would be a massive software story, we already knew it was on the way. This hyped-up announcement could also be about the unveiling of new hardware. The leading contender for the second option of this announcement is Tesla’s longer, 6-seater Model Y L for the Australian and New Zealand markets.
This theory has some momentum behind it, especially as the vehicle has already been unveiled in China and is likely destined for a global rollout, even if it may not be coming to North America in a timely fashion.
The Model Y L fills a big gap in Tesla’s local product lineup. It offers a more spacious, family-friendly three-row configuration, far better than the current 5-seat Model Y, but without the premium overhead of the larger Model X. For a market that loves SUVs and family-oriented vehicles, the Model Y L is a definitive choice.
The Underdog - The Cybertruck
There’s one other option that many Australians have been clamoring for, and that’s the potential launch of the Cybertruck in Australia and New Zealand. Tesla just launched the Cybertruck in South Korea, the first time the truck has become available outside of North America.
Australia and neighboring countries are famous for their unique Utes and love of pickup trucks, just like America, so it only makes sense that the genre-breaking Cybertruck would eventually make its debut on the other side of the planet in the land down under.
A Win-Win for Owners
Regardless of which of the two major (or one minor) possibility is revealed on Friday, the outcome is a win for Tesla fans in Australia and New Zealand. It will either be the arrival of the most advanced driver assist software in the world, the launch of a practical new family vehicle, or the launch of the unique Cybertruck that many have been waiting for.
Either way, for those Kiwis and Aussies, this week is shaping up to be one of the most exciting weeks of Tesla history in the region.
