Model Y Is Getting a Mutt Makeover, Joining the List of Cars Designed for—and by—Dogs

“No Model Y ‘refresh’ is coming out this year,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated earlier this year. “I should note that Tesla continuously improves its cars, so even a car that is six months newer will be a little better.”

Aside from the constant software updates, expect a substantially updated Model Y to land in Q1 of 2025. Efficiency and performance will be enhanced, and new damping will improve the ride. Inside, more of the primary controls will be moved to the touchscreen—including the gear selector—360-degree acoustic glass will be introduced, and rear passengers will gain entertainment screens for streaming content, gaming, and climate control.

All of which will be dissected and debated in that manic manner peculiar to Tesla adherents. Not everyone, however, who ends up in a Model Y has a voice. Point of fact, some of them can’t even speak. Yet they’ve exerted a powerful influence on the car’s design, and concerns for their well-being have reportedly contributed to the delay in the car’s rollout.

The Tesla Model Y is being redesigned with a bigger third row, making it more dog-friendly and thus potentially more popular in China.

Photograph: Courtesy of Tesla

Yep, apparently the car’s “cramped third row” is being redesigned to make it more dog-friendly and thus potentially more popular in China, where domestic rivals have roomier interiors. This is an unusual admission and one that raises a question: How many carmakers actively consider canine needs when developing new models?

Pooch Purchasing Power

“Our approach is to be function-agnostic. We try to make a great car that people will then find uses for,” says Andrew Wheel, director of production design and quality at Jaguar Land Rover. “We’ve always been cognizant of the fact that versatility and flexibility are key USPs.”

There isn’t a single carmaker that’s not fixated by its products’ “lifestyle” attributes. Some of this is marketing flimflam, of course, but plenty of us number dogs among the family unit, and the bigger breeds definitely crave space.

On which basis, there have been some interesting innovations. Tesla offers a “dog mode” that allows owners to maintain a comfortable cabin temperature while owners leave their vehicles. That’s monitored via a mobile app and a live camera feed, while passers-by are mollified by the cabin temperature shown on the car’s main display screen alongside an explanatory graphic. Note that the electric windows won’t work in dog mode, to avoid accidental pressing of the buttons, though that’s taking the idea of canine sentience a bit far.