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Porsche is investing heavily in its Taycan workforce, 1,500 new jobs expected

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Porsche has stated that the Taycan will be one of the most important cars in its history, comparable in significance to iconic vehicles like the legendary 911. Despite the car not being in production yet, the veteran automaker has revealed that the Taycan and its derivative — the Taycan Cross Tourismo — are already pushing the company to reach new heights.

In a recent press release, Porsche noted that by the end of 2018, the company employed 32,000 people across the globe, corresponding to an increase of 2,548 more employees (roughly 8.5%) compared to 2017. By mid-2018, the luxury carmaker announced that its workers exceeded 30,000 for the first time in its long history. A notable driver for this growth is the upcoming production and release of the Taycan, which is expected to enter its manufacturing stage sometime this year.

Porsche notes that in the coming months, it expects to hire more than 1,000 skilled employees who would be specifically assigned to produce the Taycan and later, the Taycan Cross Turismo. Overall, the German automaker expects its first all-electric vehicles to generate 1,500 new jobs at the company in total. These employees would be working at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen site, a location that is currently being augmented to prepare for the Taycan’s ramp.

The veteran carmaker appears to be sparing no expense to ensure that its Zuffenhausen site would be capable of meeting the demand for the all-electric sedan. Porsche has announced that it is investing  €700 million (over $797 million) to set up the necessary equipment and lines to build the Taycan. Among these improvements are a conveyor system that transports drive system components, a new assembly and logistics hall, a new paint shop, and a dedicated body shop. Overall, these improvements would allow Porsche to produce the Taycan in quantities that are far beyond its initial estimates.

Since opening preorders for the vehicle, Porsche has stated that reception to the Taycan has been overwhelmingly positive. In a previous interview with WirtschaftsWoche, Porsche CEO Olliver Blume stated that in Norway, a country where the company sells an average of 600 vehicles per year, reservations for the upcoming vehicle have nearly reached 3,000. This strong demand has reportedly encouraged the veteran carmaker to raise the Taycan’s initial target production from 20,000 units per year to 40,000.

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Porsche is yet to reveal the production version of the Taycan. That said, Stefan Weckbach, the chief of the company’s electric car initiative recently noted that the vehicle’s final iteration would be close to the stunning Mission E sedan concept, save for some changes to make the car more suited for practical use. Weckbach also mentioned that the all-electric sedan would feature a hefty 90 kWh battery pack.

The Taycan is expected to compete in the same segment as Tesla’s best-selling Model S. Being the first all-electric vehicle from the established carmaker, the Taycan features Porche’s trademark performance, from its 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, its top speed of 155 mph, and its range of 310 miles per charge. The company also noted that just like any other Porsche, the Taycan would be at home being driven to its limits in a racetrack.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla’s next-gen Optimus prototype with Grok revealed

The video shows a new Optimus prototype answering questions and taking some very robotic steps, evidently revealing that the next-generation version is in its early stages of development.

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Tesla’s next-generation Optimus robot with AI assistant Grok has been revealed in a new video shared on X.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff last night, and it appears the frontman gave Benioff an exclusive look at some upcoming technology.

Tesla talks Semi ramp, Optimus, Robotaxi rollout, FSD with Wall Street firm

The video shows a new Optimus prototype answering questions and taking some very robotic steps, evidently revealing that the next-generation version is in its early stages of development. It features Grok for some additional utility, as it answered questions Benioff asked in the short video.

Here’s what was uploaded to X:

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It appears that there are several big changes to this next-generation version of Optimus, some of which have been discussed by Musk and Tesla in the past.

The first is purely cosmetic, but the gold color that Optimus is wearing in this is a new and fresh look that we have not seen before.

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Perhaps the most interesting change that is evident here is the hands, which are much more detailed than past versions of Optimus:

However, we’re not too sure that these are what will be released with the next-gen Optimus, because they don’t appear to be functional, and they are more reminiscent of mannequin hands than anything.

The hands on Optimus have been a significant part of the program, as they are among the most crucial pieces of equipment on a robot. It needs to be able to perform both delicate and more imposing tasks. Tesla has aimed for Optimus to be able to thread needles or play the piano.

It was one of the most discussed improvements the company mentioned in past comments regarding how it planned to improve from Gen 2 to this next version.

Musk mentioned regarding Optimus:

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“Next-generation Optimus hand, which we have in prototype form, has actuators that have moved to the forearm, just like humans, and they operate the fingers through cables, just like human hands.”

Within Optimus lies a significant opportunity for Tesla to gain considerable strength in terms of market share and valuation.

If Tesla can efficiently develop and deploy the humanoid robot over the next several years, the company stands to gain, as companies will utilize it for tasks that require tedious labor.

Musk recently said Optimus will be a major contributor to Tesla’s valuation moving forward. He believes it will make up roughly 80 percent of the company’s value.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk to provide more details for Master Plan Part IV

Musk stated that he would be adding specifics to the plan in a later update.

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Credit: xAI/X

Tesla CEO Elon Musk will be adding more specifics to the recently-released Master Plan Part IV. Musk shared the update on social media platform X amidst conversations about the general nature of the Master Plan Part IV. 

In a conversation on X, Musk responded to a post from Tesla retail shareholder and bull Dave Lee, who observed that the currently released Master Plan Part IV could really just be the introduction to the real plan due to its absence of specifics.

Elon Musk responded, stating that he would be adding specifics to the plan in a later update. “Fair enough. Will add more specifics,” Musk wrote in his post.

Tesla has been following Elon Musk’s Master Plans for decades. The first Master Plan, released in 2006, outlined the company’s path from the original Tesla Roadster to the Model 3, as well as the first steps for Tesla Energy. Master Plan Part Deux, released in 2016, covered the ramp of Tesla Energy, the expansion of Tesla’s vehicle lineup, and the rollout of a Robotaxi service.

Master Plan Part 3 was more ambitious as it was generally an in-depth proposal for achieving a global sustainable entry economy by transitioning to electricity-powered vehicles, homes, and industry, which will, in turn, be powered by renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Master Plan Part 3 also included a five-step plan to accomplish this, allowing the world to transition to a fully electrified future. 

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Master Plan Part IV, which was released a few days ago, focused on automation and artificial intelligence to achieve sustainable abundance. But while the first two Master Plans were very clear and specific and Master Plan Part 3 was very in-depth, Master Plan Part IV was quite general and vague in comparison. It was easy to tell that Optimus would play a big role in the pursuit of sustainable abundance, but apart from that, there were no specifics as to how Tesla intended to achieve its goals.

Fortunately, these specifics would be discussed by Musk in a later update to the plan.

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Tesla just had its best wholesale month this year in China

Tesla China’s wholesale figures include both vehicles that are sold domestically and exported abroad.

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla China just had its best wholesale month this 2025 so far. In August, the electric vehicle maker sold 83,192 vehicles wholesale, a 22.55% increase compared to July 2025’s 67,886 units.

Tesla China’s wholesale figures are still down year-over-year, but the company’s momentum seems notable, especially with the arrival of the Model Y L.

August 2025 figures

As noted in a CNEV Post report, August 2025’s 83,192 wholesale figures are 4.04% less than the 86,697 units that were sold in the same period last year. It is, however, a 22.55% improvement from the previous month. From January to August, Tesla China sold 515,552 units wholesale, a 12.24% year-over-year decrease. 

It should be noted that Tesla China’s wholesale figures include both vehicles that are sold domestically and exported abroad. With this in mind, August’s results bode well for Tesla China, as it suggests that Gigafactory Shanghai is now hitting its pace with both its domestic deliveries and its exports. Giga Shanghai serves as Tesla’s primary vehicle export hub.

Model Y L factor

Tesla had a challenging first quarter this year, thanks in part to the changeover to the Model Y across the Fremont factory, Giga Texas, Giga Shanghai, and Giga Berlin-Brandenburg. This changeover resulted in low sales in the first quarter. Political controversies surrounding Elon Musk and violence against Tesla stores and vehicles in the first and second quarters in the United States and Europe did not help much either.

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This Q3, however, Tesla seems to be hitting its stride, especially in China. The launch of the new Model Y L has allowed Tesla to compete in the six-seat, large SUV segment, a market that was previously closed to the standard Model Y. Reports have suggested that Tesla China has been seeing a lot of demand for the Model Y L, which should help the company achieve higher sales this quarter and the remaining months of the year.

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