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Tesla Model Y touches down at last! Australian launch imminent for hotly anticipated EV!

Tesla Model Y touches down at last. (image credit: Facebook)

A truck moving several examples of the Tesla Model Y has been spotted in Australia in the surest sign yet that an Australian launch is imminent for one of the country's most hotly anticipated EVs.

It means the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and even the Tesla Model 3 will soon have a some new competition, with the Model Y now seemingly rapidly approaching its launch date.

In good news for the many EV fanatics refreshing the Tesla ordering page, what appears to be a fleet of demonstrator vehicles was spotted on the Hume Highway by an eagle-eyed driver, before being posted to public Tesla Facebook groups.

Despite sharing many of the same important bits, the Model Y's SUV styling is more than just clever design - the vehicle is bigger than the Model 3 in every way that counts, measuring 56mm longer, 72mm wider and 181mm taller, and with a wheelbase is 15mm longer. There is also better ground clearance, though it's also 150kg heavier.

It's also a more practical, family friendly offering, with folding rear seats helping boost total cargo space to a sizeable 2158L.

Interestingly, the Tesla website briefly opened orders for the Model Y in April in what was believed to be an accident as the model quickly disappeared from the ordering section of the site.

Still, we know from that error that the Model Y was intended to arrive initially in a two-trim line-up, with the Rear Drive model starting at $65,500 (before on-road costs), and a Performance variant that begins at $90,900. Whether those prices hold true for the actual launch remains to be seen.

The Rear Drive model will make use of a circa-62kWh battery deliver gin a 510km driving range, while a single electric motor should produce 220kW.

The Performance gets a bigger 82kWh and a second electric motor delivering a whopping 393kW combined. Range is pegged at around 604km.

Finally, the incoming Long Range gets the same powertrain, only this time producing 378kW and a driving range of around 612km.