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Porsche starts preparing its Zuffenhausen site for the Taycan’s production ramp
Porsche is setting the stage for the ramp of one of its most important vehicles to date — the Taycan — the veteran carmaker’s first all-electric car. The Taycan is expected to start production sometime in 2019, and to ensure that its facilities are ready for the vehicle, projects are now underway in Porsche’s Zuffenhausen facility, which will house the manufacturing line for the electric sedan.
The pedigreed carmaker has decided to set up the Taycan’s production lines in Zuffenhausen, a site with a long, storied history. Several cars, among them the iconic Porsche 911, the 718 Boxster, and the 718 Cayman, are built on the same location. A press release from Porsche notes that for the Taycan’s upcoming ramp, the company is creating 1,500 jobs and investing €700 million (over $797 million) to augment and prepare its facilities.
Several aspects of Porsche’s projects in Zuffenhausen stand out, particularly a conveyor system that transports drive system components and painted e-car bodies from the paint shop to the assembly line. The conveyor system is impressive, standing at a height of twenty meters above a four-lane main road in Stuttgart, which divides the site in half.
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- Porsche’s upcoming Taycan production facilities in Zuffenhausen, Germany. (Photo: Porsche)
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- Porsche’s upcoming Taycan production facilities in Zuffenhausen, Germany. (Photo: Porsche)
Porsche’s upcoming Taycan production facilities in Zuffenhausen, Germany. (Photo: Porsche)
Porsche also notes that the assembly and logistics hall for the Taycan’s production will be its largest building complex in Zuffenhausen. The company describes the construction of the structure as a balancing act, considering that the facility must be completed while the production of the 911, Boxster, and Cayman are continuing their usual output. Reiner Luth, head planner for the factory project, compares the balancing act to a medical procedure.
“The heart of Porsche beats in Zuffenhausen. We’re basically doing open-heart surgery,” he said.
Porsche has also shared images of its paint shop, whose steel structure is self-supporting. The company notes that final work on the Taycan’s paint shop is already underway. The Taycan’s body shop, which will be the second-largest building in the Zuffenhausen facility, is also being developed. Pre-production bodies of the 911 and later, the Taycan, will be made on the building.
Just like its rival, Tesla, Porsche intends to make its Zuffenhausen as environmentally-friendly as possible. Jürgen King, head of central construction management for the site’s expansion, explains that the factory will eventually be a C02-neutral plant. King also notes that the pace of the project is so far the fastest-moving in Porsche’s history.
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- Porsche’s upcoming Taycan production facilities in Zuffenhausen, Germany. (Photo: Porsche)
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- Porsche’s upcoming Taycan production facilities in Zuffenhausen, Germany. (Photo: Porsche)
Porsche’s upcoming Taycan production facilities in Zuffenhausen, Germany. (Photo: Porsche)
“Given these framework conditions, what we have is not only the biggest but also the fastest-moving construction site in Porsche’s history. When we’re finished expanding the factory for the Taycan, Porsche will produce zero-emission cars in a CO2-neutral plant. And that is a well-rounded result,” he said.
Porsche notes that the demand for the Taycan has been very impressive so far. Last year, the legacy automaker opened pre-orders for the vehicle, and the reception has been so positive that Porsche is now increasing the initial production of the vehicle. As noted by Porsche CEO Olliver Blume, for one, the company has logged almost 3,000 Taycan reservations in Norway alone. That’s a country where Porsche sells about 600 vehicles per year on average.
While the Taycan is about to enter production, Porsche is yet to unveil the final design of the all-electric car’s release version. So far, Porsche employs several dozens of camouflaged prototypes for testing, as well as a working version of the Mission E sedan concept car to promote the vehicle. In the company’s promotional materials for the car, Porsche states that despite the lack of engine in the Taycan, the all-electric car will still have the ever-present “soul” found in all of its other vehicles.
SpaceX reached an incredible milestone with its Starlink program with a launch last night, as the 3,000th satellite of the year was launched into low Earth orbit.
On Monday, SpaceX also achieved its 32nd flight with a single Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The mission was Starlink 6-92, and it utilized the Falcon 9 B1067 for the 32nd time this year, the most-used Falcon booster. The flight delivered SpaceX’s 3000th Starlink satellite of the year, a massive achievement.
There were 29 Starlink satellites launched and deployed into LEO during this particular mission:
Falcon 9 launches 29 @Starlink satellites from Florida pic.twitter.com/utKrXjHzPN
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 9, 2025
SpaceX has a current goal of certifying its Falcon boosters for 40 missions apiece, according to Spaceflight Now.
The flight was the 350th orbital launch from the nearby SLC-40, and the 3,000 satellites that have been successfully launched this year continue to contribute to the company’s goal of having 12,000 satellites contributing to global internet coverage.
There are over five million users of Starlink, the latest data shows.
Following the launch and stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster completed its mission with a perfect landing on the ‘Just Read the Instructions’ droneship.
The mission was the 575th overall Falcon 9 launch, highlighting SpaceX’s operational tempo, which continues to be accelerated. The company averages two missions per week, and underscores CEO Elon Musk’s vision of a multi-planetary future, where reliable connectivity is crucial for remote work, education, and emergency response.
As Starlink expands and works toward that elusive and crucial 12,000 satellite goal, missions like 6-92 pave the way for innovations in telecommunications and enable more internet access to people across the globe.
With regulatory approvals in over 100 countries and millions of current subscribers, SpaceX continues to democratize space, proving that reusability is not just feasible, but it’s also revolutionary.
Tesla expanded its new Full Self-Driving program, which gives people the opportunity to experience the company’s suite, in Europe.
Tesla recently launched an opportunity for Europeans to experience Full Self-Driving, not in their personal vehicles, but through a new ride-along program that initially launched in Italy, France, and Germany back in late November.
People could experience it by booking a reservation with a local Tesla showroom, but timeslots quickly filled up, making it difficult to keep up with demand. Tesla expanded the program and offered some additional times, but it also had its sights set on getting the program out to new markets.
It finally achieved that on December 9, as it launched rides in Denmark and Switzerland, adding the fourth and fifth countries to the program.
Tesla confirmed the arrival of the program to Denmark and Switzerland on X:
Now available in Denmark & Switzerland
🇩🇰 https://t.co/IpCSwHO566 https://t.co/V2N5EarLNX
— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) December 9, 2025
The program, while a major contributor to Tesla’s butts in seats strategy, is truly another way for the company to leverage its fans in an effort to work through the regulatory hurdles it is facing in Europe.
Tesla has faced significant red tape in the region, and although it has tested the FSD suite and been able to launch this ride-along program, it is still having some tremendous issues convincing regulatory agencies to allow it to give it to customers.
CEO Elon Musk has worked with regulators, but admitted the process has been “insanely painful.”
The most recent development with FSD and its potential use in Europe dealt with the Dutch approval authority, known as the RDW.
Tesla says Europe could finally get FSD in 2026, and Dutch regulator RDW is key
Tesla said it believes some regulations are “outdated and rules-based,” which makes the suite ineligible for use in the European jurisdiction.
The RDW is working with Tesla to gain approval sometime early next year, but there are no guarantees. However, Tesla’s angle with the ride-along program seems to be that if it can push consumers to experience it and have a positive time, it should be easier for it to gain its footing across Europe with regulatory agencies.
News
Tesla ramps hiring for Roadster as latest unveiling approaches
Tesla published three new positions for the Roadster this week, relating to Battery Manufacturing, General Manufacturing, and Vision Engineering.
Tesla is ramping up hiring for positions related to the Roadster program, the company’s ultra-fast supercar that has been teased to potentially hover by CEO Elon Musk.
The company seems to be crossing off its last handful of things before it plans to unveil the vehicle on April Fool’s Day, just about four months away.
Tesla published three new positions for the Roadster this week, relating to Battery Manufacturing, General Manufacturing, and Vision Engineering. All three are located in Northern California, with two being at the Fremont Factory and the other at the company’s Engineering HQ in Palo Alto.
Technical Program Manager, Battery Manufacturing
Located in Fremont, this role specifically caters to the design of the Roadster to factory operations. It appears this role will mostly have to do with developing and engineering the Roadster’s battery pack and establishing the production processes for it:
“You will foster collaboration across design engineering, manufacturing, quality, facilities, and production to align with company priorities. Additionally, you will understand project opportunities, challenges, and dependencies; translate scattered information into concise, complete messages; and communicate them to every team member. As the business process development lead, you will develop, maintain, and implement tools and processes to accelerate battery manufacturing execution, achieve cross-functional alignment, and deliver highly efficient systems.”
Manufacturing Engineer, Roadster
Also located in Fremont, this role also has to deal with the concept development and launch of battery manufacturing equipment. Tesla says:
“In this role, you will take large-scale manufacturing systems for new battery products and architectures from the early concept development stage through equipment launch, optimization, and handover to local operations teams.”
Manufacturing Vision Engineer, Battery Vision
This position is in Palo Alto at Tesla’s Engineering Headquarters, and requires the design and scale of advanced inspection and control systems to next-generation battery products:
“You’ll work on automation processes that directly improve battery performance, quality, and cost, collaborating with world-class engineers in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.”
Developing and deploying 2D and 3D vision and measurement systems from proof-of-concept to deployment on high-volume battery manufacturing lines is part of the job description.
Roadster Unveiling
Tesla plans to unveil the Roadster on April 1, and although it was planned for late this year, it is nice to see the company put out a definitive date.
Musk said on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast in late October:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveil ever.”
Production should begin between 12 to 18 months after unveiling, so we could see it sometime in 2027.
SpaceX reaches incredible milestone with Starlink program
Tesla expands new Full Self-Driving program in Europe
