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Porsche is investing heavily in its Taycan workforce, 1,500 new jobs expected
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.
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.
Tesla has officially launched the Model Y L in the United States and Puerto Rico for $61,990. It is the longer-wheelbase version of the Model Y, and has been available in China since last year.
Tesla brings the Model Y L to the U.S. just months after it phased out the only pure SUV in its lineup, the Model X. It is slightly longer than the Model Y configurations that are already available in the U.S., and features a three-row, six-seat setup with Captain’s Chairs being among the many features that make this a truly fantastic offering.
The Model Y L is priced competitively at $61,990, and features 325 miles of range and a 0-60 MPH in just 4.4 seconds.
Tesla also added a handful of new features that are not available in even the Premium Model Y. Here’s a full list of its features:
- Heated/Ventilated Front Seats with Powered Thigh Cushion
- Heated/Ventilated Captain’s Seats in Second Row with Powered Armrests & One-Touch Fold
- Heated Third-Row Seats with Power Recline, One-Touch Fold & Child Seat Anchors
- Improved Airflow, Increased Efficiency, More Range
- 89 cubic feet of trunk space
- Upgraded Acoustic Glass and Suspension to Minimize Road Noise
- Adaptive Damping for a Smooth, Stable Ride
- Staggered Tires for Enhanced Grip
- Larger Tailgate for Better Rear Visibility and Bigger Windows Overall
- 16″ First Row and 8″ Second Row Touchscreens
- 19-Speaker Immersive Tesla Audio
- 50W Wireless Charging Pads with Active Cooling and Charging Ports for All Other Seats
- FSD Supervised and Integrated Grok AI
Tesla is also delivering these first units as a “Launch Series,” which comes with additional features, such as:
- Door Trim Puddle Lights
- Suede Dashboard Wing
- Exterior and Interior Badging
- Floor Mats
- Sill Plates
The launch of the Model Y L in the U.S. marks a huge offering from Tesla to U.S. consumers. People have been calling for Tesla to bring a larger car to the U.S., and it needed it more than ever now that the Model X is gone.
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- Credit: Tesla
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- Credit: Tesla
It is a huge accomplishment for Tesla to get the Model Y L to the U.S., and after reporting strong deliveries today, it will be interesting to see how this car impacts future quarterly delivery reports.
Deliveries for the Model Y L “Launch Series” are slated for September or October of this year.
Tesla just told us twice that the Model Y L is coming to the U.S., and two social media posts definitely just tipped the company’s hand, as if they wanted it to be any other way.
The two social media posts basically confirm that the slightly longer version of the Model Y will be heading to the United States soon, and many have speculated that the company could launch the vehicle as soon as this weekend.
The first post was directly from Tesla, and it showed an incredibly long Dachshund, with words above that said, “Looking forward to the long weekend.”
Looking forward to the long weekend pic.twitter.com/URzH6zOUdn
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 1, 2026
Anyone who knows Tesla knows the company loves to troll its fans and have fun, and this is a perfect example of that. While not a direct acknowledgement, Tesla is very involved on social media, especially CEO Elon Musk’s platform X, and the company is well aware of what is being discussed within the community.
With recent sightings of Model Y L test mules in California, peeks of the vehicle at Giga Texas, and a large call for the car to come to the U.S., Tesla is simply stoking conversation with this.
However, the company also made another move that was recognized on social media. Tesla has a large gallery that includes photos of its products so media and others can use them. This gallery applies to the U.S. market specifically, unless otherwise specified.
Tesla uploaded a Model Y L to the Gallery last night:
This looks like a Model Y L https://t.co/TpnBwrLmH9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 2, 2026
This seems to be another indication that the Model Y L is coming to the United States.
Musk said last year that the Model Y L could make its way to the United States late this year, but it was not something that was set in stone by Tesla. The company definitely needs to establish something in the SUV market that is larger than the Model Y, and the Model Y L might be the answer.
Even still, there are consumers out there who would love Tesla to develop something even larger, like a competitor to the Tahoe or Expedition. Tesla has not really given much of an indication that it will go in that direction.
Tesla is using the vehicles’ internal microphones to improve build quality, Vice President of Engineering Lars Moravy revealed recently.
It’s no secret that Tesla is always finding ways to make its manufacturing operations more efficient, accurate, and valuable. Constantly trying to make its cars better, the company has never placed any restrictions on what it will do to improve everything from panel gaps to paint.
As Teslas have been driving autonomously on the property of the Gigafactory Texas plant for a while now, Moravy revealed to Herbert Ong in a new interview that cars rolling off production lines now autonomously navigate themselves through a bumps, squeaks, and rattles (BSR) portion of the line. This helps to identify any loose or improperly installed internal parts.
The cabin’s microphones, which are used for a variety of things in ownership, simultaneously monitor any noises inside the vehicle while it rolls through the BSR portion of the production line. Moravy actually revealed that Tesla is trying to build “Full Self-Hearing,” an AI system that will detect minor imperfections so they can be corrected before delivery.
It’s no secret that build quality is something that Tesla struggled with as it scaled to a fully massive production operation that manufactures over 1.6 million vehicles per year. However, in recent years, especially, there have not been as many complaints. Tesla has truly improved upon its build quality and paint quality over the past several years, especially in the U.S.
Tesla’s ‘megacasts’ are key to massive build quality improvements
While those improvements have been evident, there are still some complaints; no automaker is perfect with this. But this step will now ensure that every single car that rolls off the production lines at Gigafactory Texas will be void of any creaks, squeaks, or squeals when it leaves the factory.
This measure is one of the most unique we’ve seen in terms of a strategy to avoid build quality issues, but it is not exclusive to Tesla.
Ford uses acoustic analysis AI to find abnormalities in seat motors, climate control units, and other components. Suppliers and OEMs will also use microphone arrays or particle velocity sensors in end-of-line stations.
The full interview with Lars Moravy is available below:
🚨 If you’re a Tesla investor, this is one interview you don’t want to skip. The full video posted below.
Jeff Lutz @thejefflutz and I sat down with Tesla VP of Engineering Lars Moravy, and it was packed with insights!
A few of the biggest takeaways:
• Cybercab is expected to… pic.twitter.com/fhYSr2dCqP
— Herbert Ong (@herbertong) July 1, 2026
Tesla brings Model Y L ‘Launch Series’ to the U.S. at $61,990
Tesla just told us twice that Model Y L is coming to the U.S.
