Tesla, Inc.

(NASDAQ:TSLA) may have just done something that would've been hard to imagine a few years ago: borrow a page from Detroit's playbook.

The company's newly unveiled six-seat Model Y L isn't just another version of its best-selling electric SUV.

It also hints at a subtle but important shift in Tesla's product strategy.

One that looks increasingly familiar to legacy automakers that have spent decades squeezing more growth out of their biggest hits instead of constantly rolling out all-new vehicles.