Supercar Blondie answers: Where are Tesla electric vehicles built?
Published by Claire Reid
Edited by Kate Bain
Tesla was originally founded in California and now has its headquarters in Austin, Texas – but where does the EV marque make its cars?
Initially founded as Tesla Motors back in 2003, the US-based automotive company is now the most valuable carmaker in the world.
However, while it has its roots – and HQ – very firmly on US soil, its cars are actually built across several countries, including the US.
The EV automaker has factories and plants in the United States, Germany, and China.
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Tesla in the United States
As mentioned above, the EV automaker was originally founded in California and now has its headquarters in Texas – so it’s still very much an American automaker.
It also has the majority of its factories – including a couple of Gigafactories – in the States.
Fremont, California
In California’s San Francisco Bay Area, Fremont was Tesla’s first ever factory.
The Fremont factory first opened its doors as General Motors’ Fremont Assembly in 1962 – a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors.
In 2010, Toyota sold the factory to Elon Musk with a hefty discount, and the EV maker went into production.
As well as being its first factory, Fremont is the only plant where the Model S and Model X are produced.
It’s also the production home of the Model 3 and Model Y.
In terms of output, the Fremont plant produced nearly 560,000 vehicles in 2023 – and the electric car manufacturer says it has an even greater potential output of up to 100,000 Model S and 550,000 Model 3 and Y EVs.
Sparks, Nevada
The first ever Tesla Gigafactory – also known as Gigafactory 1 – opened in Sparks, Nevada.
It’s still the largest factory that the manufacturer has in the world, sprawled across 12 km2 – or 2,900 acres.
Unlike the Fremont site, no Tesla vehicles are fully built here, instead the Gigafactory creates electric motors, energy storage products, vehicle powertrains, and lithium-ion battery packs.
Tesla says it also plans to manufacture its fully electric truck – Tesla Semi – at the plant.
Austin, Texas
Tesla has its headquarters at its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas – or Gigafactory 5 as it’s also known.
Construction began on the 8.5 km2 (2,100 acre) factory in 2020, with production kicking off the following year.
Gigafactory 5 produces the Tesla Model Y for the whole of the Eastern United States – it’s also the main factory that produces the Tesla Cybertruck.
The EV automaker in Europe
Tesla has factories and plants in Germany and the Netherlands.
Grünheide, Germany
Building commenced on Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg – known as Giga Berlin or Gigafactory 4 – in 2019.
The factory produces batteries, battery packs, seats, and powertrains for numerous vehicles.
It also takes care of the final assembly of the Model Y for the European market, with wider plans to assemble other future models of EVs.
The German factory was created with an annual capacity for creating around 500,000 cars per year.
Tilburg, Netherlands
Tilburg was the first factory Elon Musk’s company built outside of California.
The facilities, which are spread across several buildings, act as the European parts and services headquarters.
The Tilburg assembly plant also handled final assembly of the Model S/X for delivery within Europe – but following the S/X refresh, the plant no longer assembles the EVs.
Tesla’s China takeover
Tesla’s Shanghai production plant – or Gigafactory 3 – began producing cars in October 2019.
The plant currently produces the Model 3 and the Model Y, and is the primary production site for Tesla vehicles exported to regions without a Gigafactory.
In 2023, the company said Gigafactory 3 had the capacity to produce more than 750,000 vehicles per year.
It has also opened a Megafactory in Shanghai, which makes components for its vehicles but doesn’t actually assemble or produce them.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
