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Tesla begins Giga Press manufacturing at Fremont factory, first sighting in action

(Credit: FoundryPlanet/YouTube)

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A recent flyover of Tesla’s Fremont production factory in Northern California has revealed the first looks at the all-too-elusive Giga Press as it was spotted in action. The Giga Press is a machine Tesla is installing at its manufacturing plants to increase production efficiency and improve vehicle build quality.

A flyover of the plant from YouTuber Gabeincal shows several portions of the Fremont factory, including offloading recently completed vehicles into haulers for customer delivery. Looking for clues that would confirm details of the rumored Model S and Model X refresh, Gabeincal stumbled upon something else: the Giga Press.

The “house-sized” casting machine was installed at Tesla’s Fremont Factory in August 2020, a project that was confirmed by Elon Musk in a Tweet with @WholeMarsBlog. “Will be amazing to see it in operation,” Musk wrote. Biggest casting machine ever made. Will make rear body in a single piece, including crash rails.” The machine is 64 feet long, 17 feet tall, and weighs 410 tons, according to IDRA, the machine’s manufacturer.

Tesla has long planned for the inclusion of new processes that will make manufacturing vehicles easier. It is the key to delivering 1 million vehicles with only a few production plants in operation in 2021, even though two more are expected to begin operation later this year.

The Giga Press is part of Tesla’s global plan to increase production efforts across its manufacturing facilities. It has already been installed in Giga Shanghai, where Model Y production has recently started, and in Giga Berlin, where the same vehicle will be prioritized when production begins later this year. Parts of the Giga Press have also arrived in Austin at Tesla’s Giga Texas facility. It is a major step in the right direction for Tesla as its EVs are ahead in technology and battery quality, but manufacturing density is where Tesla lacks.

Other car companies build 20 million vehicles a year, and Tesla is just a newcomer in the grand scheme of the automotive industry. In order to catch up on years of experience, Tesla has refined its focus to improving manufacturing. The Giga Press is a way for Tesla to build more vehicles using fewer parts, it will also cut down on overall production time, allowing the company to build more vehicles every year.

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Fascinating look at Tesla’s mammoth ‘Giga Press’ machine being assembled

The inspiration for the Giga Press was the Hot Wheels version of Tesla’s EVs. Musk said that “Sandy (Munro) accurately pointed out, the rear of the Model 3 looks like a patchwork quilt. It’s not great…The current version of the Model Y has basically two big high-pressure die-cast aluminum castings that are joined. Later this year, we will transition a single piece casting that also integrates the two rear crash rails.”

As Tesla continues to battle production efficiencies in its mission to expand and scale production, the Giga Press operation in Fremont will revolutionize the manufacturing processes for its vehicles moving forward.

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Check out Gabeincal’s video of the Fremont Giga Press in action below. It begins at 5:15 and lasts around a minute and a half.

H/t: @TeslaNY on Twitter

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Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. 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 X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Cybertruck

Tesla set to activate long-awaited Cybertruck feature

Tesla will officially activate the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature on Cybertruck soon, as the company has officially added the feature to its list of features by trim on its website.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is set to activate a long-awaited Cybertruck feature, and no matter when you bought your all-electric pickup, it has the hardware capable of achieving what it is designed to do.

Tesla simply has to flip the switch, and it plans to do so in the near future.

Tesla will officially activate the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature on Cybertruck soon, according to Not a Tesla App, as the company has officially added the feature to its list of features by trim on its website.

Tesla rolls out Active Road Noise Reduction for new Model S and Model X

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The ANC feature suddenly appeared on the spec sheet for the Premium All-Wheel-Drive and Cyberbeast trims, which are the two configurations that have been delivered since November 2023.

However, those trims have both had the ANC disabled, and although they are found in the Model S and Model X, and are active in those vehicles, Tesla is planning to activate them.

In Tesla’s Service Toolbox, it wrote:

ANC software is not enabled on Cybertruck even though the hardware is installed.”

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Tesla has utilized an ANC system in the Model S and Model X since 2021. The system uses microphones embedded in the front seat headrests to detect low-frequency road noise entering the cabin. It then generates anti-noise through phase-inverted sound waves to cancel out or reduce that noise, creating quieter zones, particularly around the vehicle’s front occupants.

The Model S and Model X utilize six microphones to achieve this noise cancellation, while the Cybertruck has just four.

Tesla Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD estimated delivery slips to early fall 2026

As previously mentioned, this will be activated through a software update, as the hardware is already available within Cybertruck and can simply be activated at Tesla’s leisure.

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The delays in activating the system are likely due to Tesla Cybertruck’s unique design, which is unlike anything before. In the Model S and Model X, Tesla did not have to do too much, but the Cybertruck has heavier all-terrain tires and potentially issues from the aluminum castings that make up the vehicle’s chassis, which are probably presenting some challenges.

Unfortunately, this feature will not be available on the new Dual Motor All-Wheel-Drive configuration, which was released last week.

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Tesla Model S and X customization options begin to thin as their closure nears

Tesla’s Online Design Studio for both vehicles now shows the first color option to be listed as “Sold Out,” as Lunar Silver is officially no longer available for the Model S or Model X. This color is exclusive to these cars and not available on the Model S or Model X.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Model S and Model X customization options are beginning to thin for the first time as the closure of the two “sentimental” vehicles nears.

We are officially seeing the first options disappear as Tesla begins to work toward ending production of the two cars and the options that are available to those vehicles specifically.

Tesla’s Online Design Studio for both vehicles now shows the first color option to be listed as “Sold Out,” as Lunar Silver is officially no longer available for the Model S or Model X. This color is exclusive to these cars and not available on the Model S or Model X.

Tesla is making way for the Optimus humanoid robot project at the Fremont Factory, where the Model S and Model X are produced. The two cars are low-volume models and do not contribute more than a few percent to Tesla’s yearly delivery figures.

With CEO Elon Musk confirming that the Model S and Model X would officially be phased out at the end of the quarter, some of the options are being thinned out.

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This is an expected move considering Tesla’s plans for the two vehicles, as it will make for an easier process of transitioning that portion of the Fremont plant to cater to Optimus manufacturing. Additionally, this is likely one of the least popular colors, and Tesla is choosing to only keep around what it is seeing routine demand for.

During the Q4 Earnings Call in January, Musk confirmed the end of the Model S and Model X:

“It is time to bring the Model S and Model X programs to an end with an honorable discharge. It is time to bring the S/X programs to an end. It’s part of our overall shift to an autonomous future.”

Fremont will now build one million Optimus units per year as production is ramped.

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Tesla Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD estimated delivery slips to early fall 2026

Tesla has also added a note on the Cybertruck design page stating that the vehicle’s price will increase after February 28.

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla’s estimated delivery window for new Cybertruck Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive (AWD) orders in the United States has shifted to September–October 2026. This suggests that the vehicle’s sub-$60,000 variant is now effectively sold out until then.

The updated timeline was highlighted in a post on X by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, who noted that the estimated delivery window had moved from June 2026 to September-October 2026, “presumably due to strong demand.”

The Dual Motor AWD currently starts at $59,990 before incentives. Tesla has also added a note on the Cybertruck design page stating that the vehicle’s price will increase after February 28.

If demand remains steady, the combination of a later delivery window and a pending price increase suggests Tesla is seeing sustained interest in the newly-introduced Cybertruck configuration. This was highlighted by Elon Musk on X, when he noted that the Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD’s introductory price will only be available for a limited time.

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When the Cybertruck was first unveiled in November 2019, Tesla listed the Dual Motor AWD variant at $49,990. Adjusted for inflation, that figure equates to roughly $63,000 in 2026 dollars, based on cumulative U.S. inflation since 2019.

That context makes a potential post-February price in the $64,000 to $65,000 range less surprising, especially as material, labor, and manufacturing costs have shifted significantly over the past several years.

While Tesla has not announced a specific new MSRP, the updated delivery timeline and pricing note together suggest that the Cybertruck Dual Motor AWD could very well be the variant that takes the all-electric full-sized pickup truck to more widespread adoption.

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