Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk has handed over to customers the first Model Y vehicles built at the newly finished Giga Berlin manufacturing plant in Germany.
First Model Y deliveries at Giga Berlin pic.twitter.com/JCneGrBJRA
— Tesla (@Tesla) March 22, 2022
The billionaire entrepreneur on Tuesday cut the ribbon at the EV maker’s first manufacturing plant outside the U.S. and China.
Excited to hand over the first production cars made by Giga Berlin-Brandenburg tomorrow!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 21, 2022
Giga Berlin has one production line with a capacity of 500,000 units per year and is expected to make the Model Y and reportedly, the Model 3 later. It will also produce its own 4680 battery cells and battery packs. It currently imports 2170 packs from Giga Shanghai.
Plans for Giga Berlin were first announced in 2019, and construction started a year later.
Here's what the factory at Berlin-Brandenburg looks like in comparison to the EV maker's other major plants:
Tesla’s latest manufacturing site is key to its plans to significantly ramp up production and sell an estimated 1.5 million this year and help it establish a stronger foothold in Europe and lower reliance on the Giga Shanghai plant.
The Austin, Texas-based company is also set to add more capacity with another key facility this year — Giga Texas.
Photo: Courtesy of Tesla, Graphic: Ramakrishnan M/Benzinga.
