Tesla Gigafactory Berlin is ready to start cranking out updated Model Ys. According to Teslarati, plant manager André Thierig said the factory is ready to ramp its production up to the same levels it hit last year when it produced about 1,000 vehicles a day.
Thierig remains confident despite the controversy surrounding Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the recent slump in sales worldwide, especially in Germany. Tesla sales there dropped 76% in February and were down 43% in March compared to the same time last year, per AFP. That's as overall electric vehicle sales rose by more than 35% in the country.
It's not just Germany. Overall, Tesla sales in Europe plummeted by 45% in January 2025 compared to January 2024, as NPR reported. Tesla sales have also dropped significantly in the U.S., where January sales were down 11%, and in Australia, where sales took a 60% hit.
Despite the slowdown in sales, Thierig said there are no plans to slow down production at the plant.
"There are no plans for production stops, staff reductions or downsizing," he stated, per Teslarati. "We have switched production from our previous model to the new Model Y, it takes time."
In fact, according to Reuters, the Berlin factory recently hired 300 employees on top of the roughly 11,000 it already employed ahead of the new Model Y ramp-up.
The optimism may come from the belief among some that the drop in sales is due to consumers waiting for the new version of the Model Y, the company's best-selling vehicle, rather than backlash against Musk for his political maneuverings within the new Trump administration.
Alternatively, it could have something to do with the fact that Tesla is about to expand its presence to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, where, according to CNN, EVs make up just over 1% of car sales. It'll be interesting to see how Tesla fares in a country that attributed about half of its GDP in 2023 to the oil and gas industry, according to Statista.
If sales rebound, given the accelerated production at Gigafactory Berlin, there will be plenty of Model Ys available for anyone looking to ditch vehicles that produce planet-overheating pollution and make their next vehicle an EV.
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