At long last, after a slightly disappointing year of sales in 2024 with a subtle dip in deliveries, Tesla wanted to start the new year with a bang and officially introduced the refreshed Model Y crossover SUV in some regions of the world.

At the time of press, only the Chinese or Australian specification of the updated Tesla Model Y is available for configuration, so let’s note that the European and American versions might come with additional changes compared to the Asian counterparts. So, after it delivered about 19k fewer vehicles last year, Tesla brought to the red carpet’s spotlight the upgraded Model Y mid-size CUV, its best-selling model.

Aside from the obvious double light-bar (front and back ) treatment, the fresh Tesla Model Y has naturally inherited a lot of elements from the Model 3 ‘Highland’ sedan, which was thoroughly expected. Things like better sound insulation, a much-improved suspension setup, more comfortable seats, and improved communications systems were important upgrades that everyone expected, especially as everyone was impressed by how much more refined the newer Model 3 was compared to its predecessor.

Alas, Tesla not only adopted some of the ‘Cyber’ design cues to distance the Model Y from its smaller sibling but also brought a few surprises – things like a more reflective glass coating and improved ventilation system, better seats, and a patented seat ventilation system, power reclining second-row backrests, a draining plug for the frunk, or a translucent full-width light bar at the rear, among others. Those are all features that Tesla Model 3 owners now want for their all-electric sedan, such as the turn indicator stalk.

But what can you do, since the Tesla Model 3 Highland landed only last year in the United States? Well, the parallel universes of vehicular CGI might have an answer for that question as a member of the imaginative guild of digital car content creators worked quickly to present a virtual second facelift for the Tesla Model 3!

More precisely, Sugar Chow, the virtual artist better known as sugardesign_1 on social media worked quickly to integrate the new Cyber-like front end with a Tesla Model 3 Performance and also the fresh, translucent light bar at the rear. Obviously, the reactions from his fans were pretty mixed. Some said that his work isn’t bad, though they prefer the current state of affairs as the Model Y “finally isn’t just a bigger version of the (Model) 3.

“Others were interested in seeing the new front on the all-electric sedan, too – but with the Highland’s regular rear. Obviously, other folks thought exactly the opposite – keep the Highland’s front and give it the new Model Y Juniper’s back attitude. Well, the discussion is all wishful thinking – Tesla will probably keep these refreshed designs unchanged for years to come, or at least until the second-gen Model 3 and Model Y are ready for prime time.