News
Tesla’s Giga Berlin director responds to anti-Musk criticism
Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin Director weighs in on Elon Musk, sales in Germany, and more: “We focus on what we do best”
Following Tesla’s third anniversary of the opening of its plant in Grünheide, Germany, Tesla’s head of manufacturing for the facility has responded to questions about Elon Musk’s recent political alignment with U.S. President Donald Trump, a potential trade war, struggling sales in Germany, and several other topics.
Andre Thierig, Senior Director of Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin, spoke in an interview with German news outlet the Frankfurter Allgemeine this week, noting that the electric vehicle (EV) maker isn’t concerned about the recent political climate surrounding Musk and Trump. Rather, Thierig echoes a goal regularly stated by some of Tesla’s top executives and designers—that the company is simply hyper-focused on making great vehicles.
“We as a company and even more so as a factory location have never positioned ourselves politically,” Thierig said, as translated from German, when asked if the politicization of Musk was harming the brand or factory. “We focus on what we do best, namely to build cars, and very good and very many. For us, this is about production at the site and not in politics. We can separate that well.”
The interviewer also asked about the arson attacks from environmental activists last March, whether or not Tesla is expecting more situations like that, and if the company has taken any measures to increase security given the recent uptick in vandalism and protests worldwide.
Thierig notes that Giga Berlin has “further improved [its] network for sharing relevant information in order to be able to able to respond more quickly” to such attacks. He also says that employees on-site would take action if necessary.
Glad to see Giga Berlin churning out the new Model Y.🇩🇪
The ramp is underway!
Credit: @tobilindh
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 7, 2025
READ MORE ON TESLA GERMANY: Tesla Giga Berlin ramping to optimum production capacity: plant manager
Regarding Tesla’s decline in February sales in Germany, Thierig points to the shift to producing the new refreshed Model Y from the legacy version, which required the factory to shut down production for a few days. He also notes that he can’t directly comment on how many pre-orders Tesla received for the new Model Y, pointing out that his team and the factory were focused on production, instead leaving sales up to the sales division.
“We in the Gigafactory do not sell, we produce,” Thierig explains. “The sales figures are the responsibility of our sales organization. However, we know our production figures and our production planning, and we are currently moving production further high. Our delivery locations here and on the airport site in Neuhardenberg are relatively empty, so the cars are quickly entering the market.”
When asked if he was concerned about incoming tariffs from the Trump administration, Thierig says that the factory increased localization of suppliers with the recent switch to the new Model Y, adding that 92 percent of components for the EV now come from somewhere in Europe.
“This makes us even more resilient to disturbances in world trade,” he adds. “In addition, we have a high level of vertical integration at the site, which has already paid off in recent years. Neither the turbulence in the supply chains during the corona pandemic nor the chip crisis or the war in Ukraine have led to production disruptions in our country.”
The interview also touches on Giga Berlin’s long-awaited expansion plans, recent criticism from union IG Metall, what he expects from the incoming federal government, and how he believes that bureaucracy needs to be reduced in the country, among many other topics still.
Thierig has been with Tesla at Giga Berlin since August 2020, first working as a paint manager, before being promoted to Manufacturing Director and subsequently to Senior Director for the factory in general. Prior to that, Thierig was a 19-year veteran with Ford’s German operations, primarily working in paint engineering.
Tesla shares reservations about Giga Berlin’s revised water contract
News
Tesla expands Model 3 lineup in Europe with most affordable variant yet
The Model 3 Standard still delivers more than 300 miles of range, potentially making it an attractive option for budget-conscious buyers.
Tesla has introduced a lower-priced Model 3 variant in Europe, expanding the lineup just two months after the vehicle’s U.S. debut. The Model 3 Standard still delivers more than 300 miles (480 km) of range, potentially making it an attractive option for budget-conscious buyers.
Tesla’s pricing strategy
The Model 3 Standard arrives as Tesla contends with declining registrations in several countries across Europe, where sales have not fully offset shifting consumer preferences. Many buyers have turned to options such as Volkswagen’s ID.3 and BYD’s Atto 3, both of which have benefited from aggressive pricing.
By removing select premium finishes and features, Tesla positioned the new Model 3 Standard as an “ultra-low cost of ownership” option of its all-electric sedan. Pricing comes in at €37,970 in Germany, NOK 330,056 in Norway, and SEK 449,990 in Sweden, depending on market. This places the Model 3 Standard well below the “premium” Model 3 trim, which starts at €45,970 in Germany.
Deliveries for the Standard model are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026, giving Tesla an entry-level foothold in a segment that’s increasingly defined by sub-€40,000 offerings.
Tesla’s affordable vehicle push
The low-cost Model 3 follows October’s launch of a similarly positioned Model Y variant, signaling a broader shift in Tesla’s product strategy. While CEO Elon Musk has moved the company toward AI-driven initiatives such as robotaxis and humanoid robots, lower-priced vehicles remain necessary to support the company’s revenue in the near term.
Reports have indicated that Tesla previously abandoned plans for an all-new $25,000 EV, with the company opting to create cheaper versions of existing platforms instead. Analysts have flagged possible cannibalization of higher-margin models, but the move aims to counter an influx of aggressively priced entrants from China and Europe, many of which sell below $30,000. With the new Model 3 Standard, Tesla is reinforcing its volume strategy in Europe’s increasingly competitive EV landscape.
News
Tesla FSD (Supervised) stuns Germany’s biggest car magazine
FSD Supervised recognized construction zones, braked early for pedestrians, and yielded politely on narrow streets.
Tesla’s upcoming FSD Supervised system, set for a European debut pending regulatory approval, is showing notably refined behavior in real-world testing, including construction zones, pedestrian detection, and lane changes, as per a recent demonstration ride in Berlin.
While the system still required driver oversight, its smooth braking, steering, and decision-making illustrated how far Tesla’s driver-assistance technology has advanced ahead of a potential 2026 rollout.
FSD’s maturity in dense city driving
During the Berlin test ride with Auto Bild, Germany’s largest automotive publication, a Tesla Model 3 running FSD handled complex traffic with minimal intervention, autonomously managing braking, acceleration, steering, and overtaking up to 140 km/h. It recognized construction zones, braked early for pedestrians, and yielded politely on narrow streets.
Only one manual override was required when the system misread a converted one-way route, an example, Tesla stated, of the continuous learning baked into its vision-based architecture.
Robin Hornig of Auto Bild summed up his experience with FSD Supervised with a glowing review of the system. As per the reporter, FSD Supervised already exceeds humans with its all-around vision. “Tesla FSD Supervised sees more than I do. It doesn’t get distracted and never gets tired. I like to think I’m a good driver, but I can’t match this system’s all-around vision. It’s at its best when both work together: my experience and the Tesla’s constant attention,” the journalist wrote.
Tesla FSD in Europe
FSD Supervised is still a driver-assistance system rather than autonomous driving. Still, Auto Bild noted that Tesla’s 360-degree camera suite, constant monitoring, and high computing power mark a sizable leap from earlier iterations. Already active in the U.S., China, and several other regions, the system is currently navigating Europe’s approval pipeline. Tesla has applied for an exemption in the Netherlands, aiming to launch the feature through a free software update as early as February 2026.
What Tesla demonstrated in Berlin mirrors capabilities already common in China and the U.S., where rival automakers have rolled out hands-free or city-navigation systems. Europe, however, remains behind due to a stricter certification environment, though Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for FSD Supervised’s approval in several countries in the region.
News
Tesla reliability rankings skyrocket significantly in latest assessment
“They definitely have their struggles, but by continuing to refine and not make huge changes in their models, they’re able to make more reliable vehicles, and they’ve moved up our rankings.”
Tesla ranked in the Top 10 of the most reliable car companies for 2026, as Consumer Reports’ latest index showed significant jumps from the past two years.
In 2022, Tesla ranked 27th out of 28 brands. Last year, it came in 17th.
🚨🚨 Tesla entered the Top 10 in Consumer Reports’ list of reliable carmakers for the first time
In the past two years, Tesla has ranked 17th in 2024 and 27th out of 28 brands in 2022.
Subaru, BMW, Porsche, Honda, and Toyota were the Top 5 OEMs in the rankings. pic.twitter.com/z216bccVoH
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 4, 2025
However, 2026’s rankings were different. CR‘s rankings officially included Tesla in the Top 10, its best performance to date.
Finishing tenth, the full Top 10 is:
- Subaru
- BMW
- Porsche
- Honda
- Toyota
- Lexus
- Lincoln
- Hyundai
- Acura
- Tesla
Tesla has had steady improvements in its build quality, and its recent refinements of the Model 3 and Model Y have not gone unnoticed.
The publication’s Senior Director of Auto Testing, Jake Fisher, said about Tesla that the company’s ability to work through the rough patches has resulted in better performance (via CNBC):
“They definitely have their struggles, but by continuing to refine and not make huge changes in their models, they’re able to make more reliable vehicles, and they’ve moved up our rankings.”
He continued to say that Tesla’s vehicles have become more reliable over time, and its decision to avoid making any significant changes to its bread-and-butter vehicles has benefited its performance in these rankings.
Legacy automakers tend to go overboard with changes, sometimes keeping a model name but recognizing a change in its “generation.” This leads to constant growing pains, as the changes in design require intense adjustments on the production side of things.
Instead, Tesla’s changes mostly come from a software standpoint, which are delivered through Over-the-Air updates, which improve the vehicle’s functionality or add new features.
Only one Tesla vehicle scored below average in Consumer Reports’ rankings for 2026 was the Cybertruck. Fisher’s belief that Tesla improves its other models over time might prove to be true with Cybertruck in a few years.
He continued:
“They’re definitely improving by keeping with things and refining, but if you look at their 5- to 10-year-old models that are out there, when it comes to reliability, they’re dead last of all the brands. They’re able to improve the reliability if they don’t make major changes.”
Regarding Subaru’s gold medal placing on the podium, Fisher said:
“While Subaru models provide good performance and comfort, they also excel in areas that may not be immediately apparent during a test drive.”
Other notable brands to improve are Rivian, which bumped itself slightly from 31 to 26. Chevrolet finished 24th, GMC ended up 29th, and Ford saw itself in 18th.
Tesla expands Model 3 lineup in Europe with most affordable variant yet
Tesla FSD (Supervised) stuns Germany’s biggest car magazine
