Jan 23 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's Tesla launched a

new higher-priced version of the Model Y, its best-selling car,

in the United States, Canada and Europe on Thursday, weeks after

it was first released in China.

The new Model Y, a long range all-wheel drive variant, will

cost $59,990 in the U.S., according to the electric vehicle

maker's U.S. website, 25% higher than its predecessor which

costs $47,990.

The new variant comes equipped with the supervised full

self-driving software, which is an optional addition in previous

Model Y cars for $8,000.

Tesla will begin deliveries of the new car in March.

With the launch, Tesla now lists four versions of the Model

Y in the U.S., with the new car costing the most, and even

higher than the performance variant.

The new variant also has redesigned exteriors, upgraded

features inside and a slightly extended range of 320 miles (515

km), according to Tesla.

Tesla first launched the Model Y in 2020 and it became the

world's best-selling car in 2023. The ageing model lost some

sales momentum last year, hurt by competition from rivals in

China, while in other markets demand for electric vehicles has

weakened.