Tesla launched the refreshed Model Y Performance in China on 11 September 2026, announcing it on Weibo at 369,000 yuan (about $54,450). It is the fifth Model Y variant on sale in China and the most expensive, and it arrives after three consecutive months of falling Model Y sales there.
Where it sits in the Chinese line-up
| Variant | Price (yuan) | 0-100 km/h | CLTC range |
|---|---|---|---|
| RWD | 263,500 | 5.9 s | 593 km |
| Long Range RWD | 288,500 | 5.6 s | 821 km |
| Long Range AWD | 313,500 | 4.3 s | 750 km |
| Model Y L (6-seat) | 339,000 | 4.5 s | 751 km |
| Performance | 369,000 | 3.5 s | 659 km |
The Performance costs 30,000 yuan more than the six-seat Model Y L and gives up 92 km of CLTC range to it. Underneath is a 78.4 kWh LG Energy Solution pack, a 176 kW front motor and a 291 kW rear motor, a 250 km/h top speed and a five-seat cabin. Charging peaks at 250 kW, which Tesla quotes as 250 km of range in 15 minutes. The cars are built at Giga Shanghai, and Tesla is quoting deliveries in two to six weeks.
The number the launch is answering
China was the first market to get the refreshed Juniper Model Y and the last to get its Performance version, and the delay has coincided with a slide. Tesla delivered 29,260 Model Ys in China in August 2026, down 25.76% year on year and the third consecutive month of decline. Over the first eight months the Model Y is down 6.10% to 226,931 units, and Tesla's total China deliveries fell 12.44% to 316,251 — the backdrop TeslAnt covered in Tesla's worst China August since 2022.
A halo trim does not usually fix a volume problem. What it does is give the line-up a top end again in a market where the competition has one.
Where it is strong and where it is not
At 369,000 yuan the Model Y Performance undercuts Xiaomi's YU7 GT, which is the comparison Chinese buyers will make first, and 3.5 seconds to 100 km/h is competitive with anything in the segment.
Charging is the weaker column. Tesla's 250 kW peak is ordinary in a market where several domestic models will take 500 km of range in around ten minutes, and where BYD's flash-charging architecture is faster still. TeslAnt has covered that gap repeatedly — BYD's Qin Max claims 10-70% in five minutes, at roughly half a Model 3's price.
What a European reader takes from it
The Model Y Performance is already on sale in Europe, so this is not a product you are waiting for. Two things transfer.
The first is the pack. A 78.4 kWh cell supply from LG for the Chinese Performance is a different choice from the in-house 4680 cells that quietly cut the European Model Y Premium LR RWD's WLTP range from 661 to 609 km — a reminder that "Model Y Performance" is not one specification worldwide.
The second is the pricing logic. Tesla is now positioning the Model Y against a top-end rival rather than pricing to fill the factory, and Shanghai is the plant that also supplies several European markets.