Tesla Model Y Juniper Facelift Spied In Performance Trim

With the Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive and Long Range All-Wheel Drive versions of the facelifted 2025 Tesla Model Y (codenamed Juniper) out now after a debut earlier this year, we’re starting to get more details of what’s coming next. If you like speed, there’s good news. A new higher-performance model is in the works.

Earlier this month, we spotted the updated Model Y being tested at the famed German Nürburgring with some camouflage attached. Now, it’s been spotted uncovered on public roads, revealing more details about what we can expect from the upcoming 2025 Tesla Model Y Performance trim.

A Preview Of The Tesla Model Y Performance

It’s logical to assume the Juniper-generation Model Y Performance will probably get the same basic dual-motor powertrain setup as the recently updated Tesla Model 3 Performance trim. In that application, there’s 510 horsepower and 554 pound-feet of torque divvied up between all four wheels. The top-trim Model 3 also sports an updated adaptive suspension setup, larger brake rotors with performance pads, new performance wheels and tires, a small aerodynamic upgrade kit with a spoiler and other bits, and upgraded front seating in the cabin.

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Model Y Performance Aesthetic And Aerodynamic Upgrades

Now, thanks to a fresh look at an uncovered Juniper-generation Model Y Performance, we get a few visual clues of what to expect for the small SUV. Ironically, the images seem to have been captured by another Tesla, privately owned and passing the test vehicle as it carved through the German Alps. That explains the slightly fuzzy resolution to the images, which are screenshots of the vehicle’s video feeds. Still, it’s good enough to spot upgraded 21-inch wheels similar to the Model 3, likely with performance rubber fitted. There should also be upgraded brakes behind those wheels.

Looking closely, we see two small additional diffusers at the rear end for a sportier effect, along with a new larger lip spoiler that’s seemingly made of carbon fiber. The orange-ish hue of the paint job could be new, but it’s more likely just camera effects shifting the standard red paint job on Tesla’s products (it looks quite red in the front-view shot). We don’t expect a new paint color, but a special shade or two is always a possibility. There’s no announced timeline for when the new Model Y Performance will officially debut and go on sale, but it will very likely be by year’s end.

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A new Model Y Performance trim couldn’t come at a better time for the automaker. It’s already America’s best-selling EV, but global sales are rapidly slipping as EV demand overall slips, and in that space, more competitors are beginning to catch up. General Motors in particular is coming on strong with its more affordable electric offerings that also have comparable performance in higher trim levels.

Meanwhile, it’s reported that registrations dropped nearly 40% year-over-year for the Model Y in April 2025, but that also comes at a time when the old pre-Juniper Model Y was phased out, which Tesla cited as part of its registration slump. We’ll have to wait and see how things end up at the end of the summer when a new batch of new vehicle registrations is reported, as Tesla does not directly break down or report sales figures on its own.

Source: Carscoops, Forbes