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Tesla faces new rivals as the electric SUV market heats up

Model Y electric vehicles are parked in front of the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg plant.
Model Y electric vehicles are parked in front of the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg plant.

Patrick Pleul/picture alliance via Getty Images

  • Tesla just refreshed the Model Y, almost 6 years after it was first introduced.
  • The electric SUV market is now much more crowded, with a parade of new competitors coming.
  • Here are seven new models that are coming for the Model Y’s crown.

Tesla just did the first major refresh of its best-selling Model Y more than five years after the SUV-ish EV was announced in 2019.

Since then, the Model Y has fended off challenges from major automakers like Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai, and Kia to become one of the top-selling vehicles in the world.

Tesla sold nearly 1.8 million vehicles last year, and the automaker has an ambitious target of 20-30% sales growth this year. A refreshed $45,000 Model Y could help it hit that lofty target as its remaining lineup begins to show its age.

The electric SUV market is now getting much more crowded, with a parade of new competitors every few months.

Here are seven new models — from China and Europe, mostly — that are coming for the Model Y’s crown.

Mercedes electric GLC
The Mercedes-Benz GLC on stage at the International Motor Show in Munich.

Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

Price: Not yet listed, but expected around $50,000. (A current hybrid model starts at $60,300.)

Availability: GLC400 in late 2026, and GLC300+ early 2027

Range: 350+ miles, depending on trim

Show-stopping feature: An optional panoramic “Hyperscreen” powered by the MB.OS supercomputer.

BMW iX3
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse presents the new model BMW iX3 in Munich.

MICHAELA STACHE/AFP via Getty Images

Price: Less than $60,000

Availability: Summer 2026

Range: Up to 400 miles

Show-stopping feature: The iX3 is the first SUV to be built on BMW’s Neue Klasse platform, which was designed specifically for EVs.

Xiaomi YU7
A Xiaomi YU7 car is displayed at the showroom of the Xiaomi EV Factory in Beijing.

GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images

Price: RMB 253,500 (~$35,500)

Availability: Launched in July and currently only available in mainland China.

Range: 475 miles

Show-stopping feature: Xiaomi makes a lot of other consumer products in China, creating a robust tech ecosystem for users.

Xpeng G7
An Xpeng G7 on display at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.

Fang Zhe/Xinhua via Getty Images

Price: RMB 195,800 (~$27,500)

Availability: Third quarter of 2025 in China and Australia.

Range: 375 miles

Show-stopping feature: Situated between the G6 and G9 variants, the G7 is billed as the first “AI car” and includes L3-level computing power.

Nio Onvo L90
A Nio Onvo L90 electric SUV on display in a Nio store in Yangzhou, China.

CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

Price: RMB 265,800 (~$37,000), or RMB 179,800 ($25,000) with battery subscription option.

Availability: Launched in July, available in China, Europe, and the Middle East.

Range: 375 miles.

Show-stopping feature: Beyond the dazzling tech (which can recognize more than 1,630 voice commands), the L90 uses Nio’s proprietary ultra-comfortable seat platform.

BYD Sealion 7
An all-electric BYD Sealion 7 is displayed during the Everything Electric show at ExCel London.

John Keeble/Getty Images

Price: ~$36,300

Availability: Introduced last year in China and Europe, with India and other additional markets arriving throughout 2025.

Range: 336 miles.

Show-stopping feature: The cabin is spacious, and the center screen rotates, which is pretty cool.

BYD Tang L
BYD's Tang L on display at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.

Zhang Hengwei/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Price: RMB 239,800 (~$33,500)

Availability: Launched in April in China.

Range: 375 miles.

Show-stopping feature: All the perks of the Sealion, plus a third row. ‘Nuff said.

Read the original article on Business Insider