TSLAFriday, 11 Sep 2026
Model Y Performance goes on sale in China, Ridgepoint Robotaxi charging hub, Cybercab ride-hailing opens to all in Austin
3 items on the same day. (1) The all-wheel-drive Model Y Performance goes on sale in China at RMB 369,000, a tactic of filling gaps in the SKU line-up while demand has peaked (promotions at the low end to push volume, a new SKU at the high end to lift ASP).
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(2) A permit has been filed for Ridgepoint Drive in Austin, the 2nd dedicated Robotaxi charging hub (24 V4 DC fast chargers and a 2,500 kVA transformer), moving the fleet-first business model from design to execution. (3) Austin's Robotaxi has gone from invitation or waitlist access to 'anyone can download the app and hail a ride', and Cybercab registrations in Texas have risen from 45 to about 49.
Key evidence
- On 11 Sep Tesla listed the high-performance all-wheel-drive Model Y Performance in China on Weibo, starting at RMB 369,000 (about $54,450). It is the 5th version and the most expensive, RMB 30,000 more than even the 6-seat Model Y L.
- Performance version specifications: 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, CLTC range of 659 km, delivery in 2-6 weeks (CnEVPost, first-hand).
- The official framing spells out the context: Model Y sales in China have fallen year on year for 3 months running, and inventory Model Ys picked up before 30 Sep carry a discount of about $1,486.
- The 2nd dedicated Robotaxi hub, at Ridgepoint Drive: 24 V4 DC fast chargers and a 2,500 kVA transformer, with the drawings folder labelled outright for Robotaxi use (MarcoRPi1 dug out the permit blueprints, NotaTeslaApp).
- The first was a large hub on East St. Elmo Road with 80 wireless chargers and 48 V4 chargers. Ridgepoint has no wireless charging, only plug-in V4.
- The official Tesla Robotaxi account said on 10 Sep that 'Anyone can try Cybercab in Austin', moving from invitation or waitlist access to open ride-hailing.
- Cybercab registrations in Texas rose slowly from 45 to about 49 (TeslaNorth).
Catalysts to watch
- Q3 China deliveries, and whether ASP is dragged down by promotions
- When the Ridgepoint hub actually goes into operation
- Official disclosure of actual ride volumes and operating scale after the Cybercab opens up in Austin
- The slope at which Cybercab registrations continue to climb
Risks
- The Performance version is a niche, high-margin segment with small volumes, so its pull on total deliveries is limited. The core variable is still the volume and pricing of the mainstream Model Y and Model 3.
- Filling the SKU line-up reflects a peak in demand and not real acceleration, with changes in product mix propping up China.
- Ridgepoint has no wireless charging, which suggests that going exclusively to wireless inductive charging is still a distant goal, and for now Tesla relies on DC fast charging through a hidden NACS port as a stopgap.
- Robotaxi is still heavily geofenced (limited to Austin) and unsupervised but with a small fleet. Compared with Waymo's mature operations across several cities, it is still at an early stage.
- These are positives on the supply, infrastructure and operating sides, but none is a delivery-grade or valuation-level inflection point.
Sources (6)
- CnEVPost (first-hand report on the Model Y Performance China listing)
- Tesla official account on Weibo (11 Sep China listing announcement)
- NotaTeslaApp (Ridgepoint permit blueprints)
- MarcoRPi1 (Supercharger tracker, dug out the Ridgepoint drawings)
- Tesla Robotaxi official account, 10 Sep (Anyone can try Cybercab in Austin)
- TeslaNorth (number of Cybercabs registered in Texas)
A brief is a lead for our research, not a verified conclusion or advice.