The Tesla Model Y Standard’s Glass Roof Is Permanently Covered — This Is Why

The new entry-level Tesla Model Y Standard revealed this week does without a few features to keep its cost low.

Among them are ventilated seats, a power-adjustable steering wheel, a rear touchscreen for the infotainment system and the Autosteer lane-centering system.

One thing it does share with all of the other Model Y trims is a full glass roof. The problem is, you can’t see it from the inside.

Tesla covered it up with a full headliner in the Model Y Standard, which seems very strange, but it had its reasons.

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Tech influencer Kim Java was one of a handful of Tesla insiders from outside the company that was given access to the Model Y Standard ahead of its reveal.

According to reports on her channel, the headliner helped Tesla reduce manufacturing complexity compared to what’s required to frame the glass on the interior in the other trims. Covering it up also reduces interior temperatures, which improves the vehicle’s efficiency. This was apparently deemed a more affordable solution to redesigning the car with a full metal roof.

However, it also makes up for a change to some other glass in the car. Tesla replaced the sound-absorbing double-laminated window glass used on the other Model Ys with a less expensive glass, so the headliner helps absorb noise in the cabin.

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The reports didn’t mention if any other sound insulation was removed from the car, which is common among base level vehicles across the industry. Tesla did not show what’s under the headliner, so it’s not clear if an owner would be able to cut it away easily to expose the glass, or retrofit parts from the other Model Y trims to recreate the opening.

Oddly, the Model 3 Standard that was launched alongside the Model Y Standard, retained the open glass roof.

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