Tesla has released a hype video to show off the big things it has in store this year and in the near future. While the video's pleasant enough to watch, observers will note a teased vehicle around the 0:15 mark.
Of course, it leads us to wonder: is the vehicle shown the Model Y crossover? The vehicle is Tesla's next step toward producing mass-market electric cars and not just luxury or performance EVs.
Motor Authority spent quite a bit of time analyzing the still frame in the video and decided collectively after poring over data, analyzing variances, staging light, portioning verisimilitude, focal depth, and heat of the beat orchestrations: We have no clue what it is, either.
Noting the door panels, it's difficult to make out if there's extra cladding. For all we know, this is simply a Tesla Model 3 prototype hiding under a sheet. Or maybe it's a bear or something.
The company does have additional variants of the Model 3 coming, but only when weekly production reaches 5,000 cars per week. That includes a dual-motor variant.
Now, we have nothing else to do but scrutinize a single video frame and comb for clues over whether or not CEO Elon Musk has something new he'd like to show off to the world.
More specifically, news and coverage of Tesla has come down to analyzing tweets and single-frame footage like the Zapruder film.
It's entirely possible this is nothing more than a Model 3 under a sheet. The Model Y isn't expected to reach production until 2020 at the earliest after recent comment from Musk. Furthermore, the CEO said Model Y production will require a new facility for production. Tesla's Fremont, California, production site is "jammed to the gills" and "crazy packed" with other vehicle production.
Musk has always been tremendous at garnering media coverage, and the car-under-a-sheet ploy has done it yet again.
We're here talking about him, aren't we? Musk is good at reminding the world all is well with his electric-car maker, but we want to see more evidence than a cloaked prototype.
We reached out to Tesla to see if they had anything to tell us about the vehicle. We'll report back if they confirm that it's just a bear.