Elon Musk hints at 'Advanced Manufacturing Technologies' to ramp Tesla Model Y in China

Credit: Twitter/jzpchen

Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke of new “advanced manufacturing technologies” for the Model Y crossover at the company’s Model 3 event in Shanghai.

“Model Y will also have some advanced manufacturing technology that we will reveal in the future. I think it will be exciting to show the kind of manufacturing technology associated with the Model Y and it will be exciting to learn about these technologies,” Musk said when speaking about the production of the company’s first crossover.

The addition of these new “advanced technologies” could be Tesla’s answer to reaching the goal of producing 500,000 vehicles annually at Gigafactory 3. It also brings some interesting possibilities to mind, such as the potential use of a giant casting machine that reduce welds in the vehicle’s body, as hinted at by patents from the company.

Tesla officially launched the Model Y program today at Gigafactory 3 by pouring glasses of champagne on top of a ‘Y’ sculpture located at the production plant on the outskirts of Shanghai. CEO Elon Musk could be seen smiling while launching he Model Y in China, which could result in the crossover entering production in Gigafactory 3 within this year.

After a leaked photo of a poster sparked rumors of the company’s plans to begin the Model Y program on January 7, many speculated the production of the vehicle would be accelerated as well. However, there is no official timeline to build the Model Y in Shanghai as Tesla officials did not speak in detail about the upcoming Model Y ramp.

Model Y production in China should not be a difficult task to complete for the site’s production team. The crossover utilizes around 75% of the same parts as the Model 3, meaning there is not a huge difference between the two vehicles’ actual building process. Building these two cars side-by-side would not be a difficult challenge and would ultimately prove beneficial to Tesla’s ultimate goal to achieve a 500,000 vehicle production rate at Gigafactory 3.

The plant has already started producing the Model 3 at a run-rate of 3,000 vehicles per week. Without the Model Y, Gigafactory 3 is building around 150,000 Model 3 vehicles a year. If Tesla can produce the Model Y at the same rate, the company would be well on its way to achieving the half-a-million-a-year vehicle goal they are aiming for.

Joey Klender: Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his time at TESLARATI, Joey has broken several big stories, including the first images of the Tesla Model S Plaid, the imminent release of the 4680 Model Y through EPA certification, and several expansions to the Lucid AMP-1 factory in Arizona, to name a few. His stories have been featured in several publications, including Yahoo! Finance, Fox News, CNET, and Seeking Alpha. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on Twitter @KlenderJoey.
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