Tesla’s Berlin Plant Chief Rules Out a Second Model Y Factory

Tesla’s Giga Berlin plant would not make more Model Ys in a second factory, according to plant manager André Thierig. Speaking at the Automobilwoche Congress in Berlin, he said that if Tesla builds a second factory there, “we won’t be building another Model Y factory,” as translated in a report from Automobilwoche.

Thierig did not say what the new factory would produce. Tesla has not decided on a second factory or on a new product for it.

What a second Berlin factory could build

A small, low-priced Tesla for Europe, usually called the Model 2, has long been a fan wish. Not a Tesla App says the project was reportedly dropped in early 2024 when the company pivoted toward robotaxis, and that Standard trims of the Model 3 and Model Y took its place at lower prices.

The outlet sees the Cybercab as the likelier answer. Elon Musk called it the “most likely next major product” for the site earlier this year, with the Optimus robot maybe following. Musk also voiced a hope of getting the Cybercab to Europe soon, and the vehicle is now on a European tour that includes four German stops, one of them Berlin.

The land for the expansion has been cleared, and a building application is planned for 2026. The project belongs to a wider scheme that would eventually lift the plant’s output to 1 million vehicles a year.

Hiring and output keep rising in Grünheide

“We are probably the only ones in Germany who are currently growing,” Thierig said, according to the translated report.

The Grünheide plant has just taken on 2,000 people. Model Y output is climbing to 7,500 a week, with a finished car every 45 seconds over 15 shifts weekly, which moves the factory nearer to its ceiling of 375,000 vehicles a year. An earlier ramp-up this year came with 1,000 hires, then the 7,500-a-week goal brought 1,000 more. Berlin also marked its 750,000th car this year.

Battery cells come next. Berlin currently produces electrodes, which travel to Texas to become cells and then return. Complete cell manufacturing in Grünheide is scheduled for mid-2027, which would give Europe its first plant doing everything from cells to finished cars on one site.

Work week stays at 38 hours

Thierig also said Tesla will not change its 38-hour work week. He called a reduction to 35 hours “a red line for us.”

What it means for buyers and workers

For shoppers in Europe, the plant’s current output is still the Model Y, and the cheaper Standard versions of the Model 3 and Model Y are the lower-priced cars Tesla has actually launched. A compact Model 2 remains unconfirmed, and Tesla has said nothing official about the product for a second factory.

For workers in Grünheide, the plant keeps adding people and shifts. The 38-hour week stays, according to Thierig, and a shorter week is off the table as far as he is concerned.

What happens next

Tesla plans to file its building application for the expansion in 2026. That filing is the next concrete step and the point at which more details on the second factory could emerge. Until then, Tesla has not confirmed what the factory would build.

Source: Not a Tesla App