Tesla’s Giga Berlin production facility will revolutionize the electric automaker’s presence in the highly-concentrated European electric vehicle market. While Tesla holds considerable advantages in EV tech, pricing, range, and performance, it holds another considerably important element that determines a company’s ability to control pricing: battery production. With Tesla planning to manufacture its newly-detailed 4680 cells at the Berlin Gigafactory within two years, according to Economy Minister Jörg Steinbach, the company is setting the stage to infiltrate the intensely-competitive European EV market with the best and most affordable electric cars on the continent in record time.
After being approved for a slice of the $3.5 billion assistance package for the development of Giga Berlin’s 4680 battery plant, Tesla is set in a prime position to dominate the European battery production market. CATL and BASF SE both have large-scale battery manufacturing projects in Germany already, but Giga Berlin’s plant could displace them as Elon Musk once said it could be the biggest in the world.
During the 2020 European Battery Conference in November 2020, Musk said:
“I think it will be the largest. It would be capable of over 100 GWh hours per year of production and then possibly going to 200 to 250. I’m pretty confident at that point it would be the largest battery-cell plant in the world.”
And Tesla will need it. After coming off of a record year in deliveries and production figures, Tesla is continuing to ramp scalability as it tackles international markets for the first time in its history. After expanding to China with its Giga Shanghai plant, which began delivering cars in January 2020, Tesla had already started developing the Giga Berlin property by excavating the grounds and clearing obstacles that were there previously. Now, the factory is well underway and is expected to begin producing cars this Summer.
There still is no exact timeline for the 4680 battery plant, as it could take several years to figure out supply chain details from suppliers to Berlin. Tesla is also still figuring out the manufacturing processes of the 4680 cell at its Kato Road facility in Northern California. Elon Musk has said in the past that 4680 cells have been in working vehicles for some time, but at what scale? Only Tesla knows.
However, Jörg Steinbach, a vocal supporter of Tesla’s Berlin facility, now says the plant could open in two years, Bloomberg reported.
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Tesla’s monster 4680 battery plant in Giga Berlin receives federal gov’t pre-approval
Despite regular hurdles to jump through, Tesla has had assistance from politicians all over Germany. With Steinbach’s support, another Economic Minister, Peter Altmaier, also extended his hand to the electric automaker, offering any help he can to expedite the factory’s construction. Environmental concerns, along with complaints from local citizens, have tied up Tesla from time to time at the factory. Still, construction has been moving along at an impressive rate since the official groundbreaking.
“You have to sometimes translate the culture of our approval procedures, which are also strongly influenced by environmental protection,” Steinbach said.
It is crucial for Tesla to open Giga Berlin so it can expand its outreach in the most EV-concentrated region on Earth. Steinbach says he is “totally relaxed” regarding the plant’s ultimate approval. He still expects EVs to roll off the line in July.
After the 4680 cell plant does open, Tesla will be able to scale-back costs of its EVs. Currently buying many cells from third-party suppliers, Tesla will still do that for the foreseeable future, according to Musk. However, creating more battery cells will decrease the shortage of batteries, making them less expensive and, at the same time, decreasing the price of Tesla’s cars. Because of this important point, the 4680 facility is of utmost importance.
“This project is given top priority,” Steinbach said.
Elon Musk
Tesla Takedown group prepares anti-Elon Musk effort on November 15
Organizers also emphasized that “Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property.”
A coalition of activists has announced a coordinated “Tesla Takedown” Day of Action on November 15, urging participants worldwide to protest Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s newly approved 2025 performance award.
Organizers described the movement as a peaceful protest against what they view as excessive corporate power and wealth concentration in the hands of one individual.
Activists try again
Tesla Takedown organizers said their November 15 protests will coincide with the nine-month anniversary of their first weekend of action. In a public statement, the group called on supporters to “host or join an action in your community” under the banner #NoTrillionaires, framing the event as a stand against billionaire influence in politics and technology.
“Fascism is on the march in America and around the world. Institutions and elites are caving. We’re fighting back. No one is doing more to fuel the rise of fascism than Elon Musk. Now, Tesla shareholders want to supercharge his assault on democracy by making him a trillionaire. Yes, with a T. That will make him even more dangerous. The good news is, we CAN stop him. His insane trillion-dollar incentive package depends on hitting huge benchmarks. That’s where all of us come in,” the group wrote.
Organizers also emphasized that “Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly.”
The group’s emphasis on opposing violence and vandalism is a welcome statement considering that previous Tesla Takedown protests have resulted in arrests and chaos in the past. Earlier this year, anti-Tesla individuals vandalized, firebombed, and shot at several Tesla locations in protest of Elon Musk.
Musk’s pay package
The planned demonstrations follow Tesla shareholders’ recent approval of CEO Elon Musk’s 2025 performance award, a landmark pay plan that could make him the world’s first trillionaire if key performance and valuation goals are achieved. Over 75% of shareholders voted in favor of the award during Tesla’s 2025 Annual Shareholder Meeting, where Musk appeared on stage to thank investors alongside the company’s humanoid robot, Optimus.
The pay plan links Musk’s compensation to ambitious operational and stock price milestones that could see Tesla become the world’s most valuable company by a wide margin with a market cap of $8.5 trillion. Musk is also required to hit several product targets for the electric vehicle maker. These include the delivery of 20 million Tesla vehicles cumulatively, 10 million active FSD subscriptions, 1 million Tesla bots delivered, and 1 million Robotaxis in operation.
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Tesla Model Y and Model 3 top world’s best-selling EV rankings in September
The two vehicles’ feat was highlighted recently by CEO Elon Musk in a post on X.
The Tesla Model Y and Model 3 are still the best-selling electric vehicles in the world in September, a remarkable achievement given that both EVs are premium models that typically command higher prices than their competitors.
The two vehicles’ feat was highlighted recently by CEO Elon Musk in a post on X.
Still best-selling
As observed by tech watcher @XFreeze, the Model Y and Model 3 were the world’s #1 and #2 best-selling electric vehicles in the world in September 2025. Interestingly enough, the list includes both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric cars.
During the month, Tesla was able to sell 140,904 Model Y crossovers and 67,374 Model 3 sedans across the globe. This is quite impressive considering that the Model Y and Model 3 have been around for several years now, and they are still premium-priced.
Staying power
The Model Y and Model 3’s stellar staying power may be due to a variety of factors, including the vehicles’ bang-for-the-buck nature. The Model 3, for example, is quite a bit closer to the price of a Toyota Camry or Honda Civic, but its amenities are closer to those of the BMW 3 Series. The same is true for the Model Y.
Despite their relatively mainstream price, the Model 3 and Model Y offer a ton of tech features that are only available in Teslas. These include Full Self-Driving, which is steadily becoming a huge selling point in territories where it is available, and the company’s vast suite of tech-centric convenience features. The fact that the Model 3 and Model Y are among the safest vehicles in their respective classes doesn’t hurt either.
Tesla has lost its Model Y Program Manager, he announced on LinkedIn, marking the second major departure from the company today.
Emmanuel Lamacchia has been in the role for 4 years and 7 months, responsible for the rollout of the all-electric crossover in several markets.
The Model Y became the best-selling vehicle in the world for two years under Lamacchia’s watch, making this a huge loss for the company. However, it seems the decision was made under Lamacchia’s own initiative.
He confirmed his decision on LinkedIn:
“After 8 incredible years, I’m moving on from Tesla.
What a journey it’s been… from leading NPI for Model 3 and Model Y variants to becoming the Vehicle Program Manager for Model Y, the best-selling car in the world!
Leading the All-New Model Y launch was the highlight: converting all 4 factories across 3 continents in just 2 weeks. Something that had never been done before in the auto industry.
To the teams who made this possible: you should be incredibly proud. This achievement belongs to you: the engineers, designers, buyers, and associates in Fremont, Shanghai, Berlin, and Austin who turned an impossible timeline into reality.
Grateful to the leaders who trusted me with programs that stretched my capabilities and to the cross-functional partners who showed me that great solutions come from collaboration, not hierarchy.
Tesla taught me how to move fast without breaking things and how to scale from prototypes to millions of units.
Excited for what’s next. More to share soon.”
It marks the second major program loss for Tesla today, as it also bid farewell to Cybertruck and Model 3 Program Manager Siddhant Awasthi, who said he left voluntarily in “one of the hardest decisions of his life.”
Lamacchia was at Tesla for just a shade under eight years, and previously worked for Rolls-Royce for roughly the same amount of time.
After the loss of both Lamacchia and Awasthi today, Tesla has lost a handful of key executives in 2025, including:
- David Imai, Director of Design
- David Lau, VP of Software Engineering
- Mark Westfall, Head of Mechanical Engineering
- Prashant Menon, Regional Director in India
- Vineet Mehta, Head of Battery Architecture
- Omead Afshar, VP/Head of Sales and Manufacturing in North America
- Milan Kovac, Head of Optimus Team
- Jenna Ferrua, Director of HR
- Troy Jones, VP of Sales, Service, and Delivery
- Pete Bannon, VP of Hardware Engineering
- Piero Landolfi, Director of Service
Tesla Takedown group prepares anti-Elon Musk effort on November 15
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 top world’s best-selling EV rankings in September
Tesla loses Model Y program manager in second blow in single day
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