News
Tesla is performing Model Y Giga Press casting tests at Texas factory: rumor
Tesla’s Giga Texas production facility is rumoredly undergoing some test runs of the Model Y’s rear, one-piece casting months ahead of its scheduled initial production phases, according to some close to the project.
Tesla has spent the last year developing land and constructing its largest Gigafactory production facility to date in Austin, Texas. In what will eventually become a production facility that will supply the Eastern portion of North America with Model 3 and Model Y builds and the Cybertruck, Tesla has made tremendous progress in Austin. It appears that the company is already performing casting tests ahead of production phases.
According to Texas resident and frequent Giga Texas visitor Joe Tegtmeyer, who also flies drones over the site to track progress, a source close to the operation in Austin says that the first test casting was completed by Giga Press #1. The Giga Press is a large casting machine from IDRA, an Italian manufacturer. Tesla has utilized the Giga Press for the Model Y’s single-piece rear casting.
“I was given information by a reliable on-site source that late last evening…the first test casting was completed by Gigag Press #1! This was a Model Y rear casting,” Tegtmeyer said.
Great news! Update Giga Texas: Quad Squad Joe Tegtmeyer has heard that the *first* test casting for the Model Y was completed here in Texas!
? @JoeTegtmeyer pic.twitter.com/LlP8dgoNHu— Tesla Owners of Austin (@AustinTeslaClub) May 13, 2021
Tesla introduced the rear casting with the Model Y to eliminate an excessive number of parts that make up the frame of the car. Tesla went from 70 pieces to 1 single-piece with the introduction of the Giga Press and the single-piece casting, and it has been one way the automaker has increased production efficiency and build quality. Tesla also plans to use the Giga Press’s single-piece casting for the Cybertruck by using an over 8,000-tone-force machine. Giga Texas is not and will not be the only facility under Tesla ownership to utilize a Giga Press, either. There are currently three casting machines installed in China at Giga Shanghai, two at Tesla’s Fremont Factory in Northern California, and there will be Giga Presses at both Giga Texas and Giga Berlin, where the Model Y will be the top priority when production begins.
The use of a casting machine to create a one-piece rear frame for the Model Y not only increases production efficiency and build quality but also improves vehicle safety in the event of a rear-end collision. While the Model Y and the Cybertruck will be using the Giga Press casting design in the near future, CEO Elon Musk said that the Model 3 would also eventually use a single-piece casting, just not anytime soon.
Musk said in an interview with Sandy Munro:
“At some point, we probably will switch to a single-piece casting, but I think we need to get the Texas factory and the Berlin factory going. We do have an issue. It is hard to change the wheels on the bus when it is going 80 MPH down the highway. So, Model 3 is…well, was most of our volume. Model Y will exceed Model 3, but we just need an opportunity to redo the factory without blowing the cash flow of the company.”
The news of Tesla performing casting test runs at Giga Texas only helps the company’s narrative that production will begin soon. Currently, Tesla’s contracted crews on the site are working to install and commission the machinery that will eventually pump out hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles every year.
Check out Joe Tegtmeyer’s most recent Giga Texas flyover below.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) showrooms have been picked clean ahead of the end of the third quarter of the year, as demand looks to be strong and delivery estimates for new vehicles are pushed into late 2026 and early 2027.
Tesla appears to have sold out of many of its Model 3 and Model Y trim levels in the United States, as only the Model Y RWD and Model Y All-Wheel-Drive are available for delivery before the end of the year.
Additionally, many showrooms are either completely empty or void of all but just one demo unit within the buildings themselves in an effort to bolster what could be one of Tesla’s best quarters in vehicle deliveries in recent memory.
I’m at Tesla right now and when I walked into their showroom I was shocked to see it basically empty.
I asked one of the people working there where all of the cars are “Gone – it’s the end of the quarter and we’ve sold out of everything… including the display vehicles”So… pic.twitter.com/rN7s3gE6sJ
— Devin Olsen (@DevinOlsenn) September 25, 2026
All the cars are gone from Tesla Century City!
All they have is Model Y L, a self-driving video playing on the background. I guess the best product is no product. Either that or they just sold the showroom cars. pic.twitter.com/mzCjWaXwww
— Whole Mars Catalog (@wholemars) September 26, 2026
Show room is empty. I asked and they have sold the demo cars too. Delivery numbers better be outstanding! pic.twitter.com/jq5N28Q6tZ
— Electric Brawl (@3lectricBrawl) September 22, 2026
Additionally, when I spoke to the guys at Tesla Mechanicsburg two weeks ago, when I returned the Model Y L, their third hauler of the week had just arrived, and every vehicle on it, along with every vehicle in their delivery lot, was accounted for and had a name attached to it for delivery.
Talking to the guys at the Mechanicsburg showroom on Friday, they couldn’t believe they had ANOTHER hauler coming in of cars for delivery—and each was accounted for
No car just sitting in inventory. They’re expecting a BIG quarter, and this is more than just the Y L https://t.co/ce801GkKVv
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) September 21, 2026
Tesla saw a 25 percent increase in deliveries in Q2 compared to the same quarter the year before. The vast majority of the 480,126 units it delivered, 467,762 vehicles to be exact, were the Model 3 and Model Y.
In Q3 2025, Tesla delivered 497,099 vehicles, once again a figure that was dominated by the company’s two mass-market vehicles. Analysts have unusually wide predictions for this quarter, likely because so many firms missed the Q2 delivery figure by such a substantial margin; Wall Street predicted 408,000 cars, while Tesla delivered 480,000.
Goldman Sachs has Tesla slotted for 435,000 deliveries in Q3, while JPMorgan said it anticipates 482,000. The median guess is about 449,000 deliveries for Q3.
Interested in ordering a Tesla? Use my referral code for three free months of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) here.
Tesla’s Automatic Collision Evasion feature can be seen in one of the first owner videos of it in action.
Tesla owner Spencer (@scotsrule08) posted on Monday that the feature “worked flawlessly,” saying FSD reengaged itself just as he was about to hit a curb. Ashok Elluswamy, who leads Tesla’s AI team, shared the clip and wrote, “A guardian angel always looking out for you.”
The video arrives in the middle of a staged rollout. Tesla first shipped Automatic Collision Evasion with FSD (Supervised) v14.3.9 in software update 2026.27.6 earlier this month, which Teslarati covered as it reached cars. Update 2026.27.10, which began going out on September 19, carried the feature improvements with FSD v14.3.10, according to release notes tracked by Not a Tesla App. The newer 2026.27.11 build is now reaching another wave of vehicles.
The new Automatic Collision Evasion feature worked flawlessly! FSD reengaged itself just as I was about to hit a curb.
Kudos @Tesla_AI team! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Fbp15HhpL2
— Spencer (@scotsrule08) September 28, 2026
The feature only runs on HW4 vehicles, and it requires an active FSD purchase or subscription with both FSD (Supervised) and Automatic Emergency Braking enabled. HW3 owners receive FSD v14.2 Lite in the same updates, but that build does not include collision evasion.
Tesla’s release notes describe two triggers. The first is an imminent frontal collision that braking alone may not prevent, in which case the car can activate FSD to steer, brake or accelerate around the hazard. That scenario is limited to highways below 85 mph, with no pedestrians or cyclists detected and no slippery road surface. The second covers a driver who appears inattentive, such as reaching into the back seat, or who seems to have switched off FSD by accident. Spencer’s curb clip appears to fall into that second category.
Tesla plans big safety improvements for Full Self-Driving v15
Once the system takes over, the accelerator is muted and light brake input will not cancel the maneuver. Drivers need to apply firm, deliberate steering force to take back control, and the car chimes to hand control back once the danger has passed.
Elluswamy recently noted that earlier hazard prediction, faster reaction time and better collision avoidance would arrive with FSD v15, the next major version.
Tesla is delaying its event for the Roadster, moving it from this Thursday, October 1, to Thursday, October 15, due to unfavorable weather.
The company has said it has been tracking the weather for this Thursday closely with local meteorologists, and because the event can only be held outside, Tesla is making the call to delay it:
“We’ve been tracking the weather closely with local meteorologists, but given the severe conditions predicted & because this event can only be held outdoors, we’ve made the difficult decision to reschedule. New date is October 15. Additional details to follow.”
Roadster event update
We’ve been tracking the weather closely with local meteorologists, but given the severe conditions predicted & because this event can only be held outdoors, we’ve made the difficult decision to reschedule.
New date is October 15. Additional details to…
— Tesla (@Tesla) September 28, 2026
We are sure that this is bringing back PTSD for some Tesla fans, and we know it is not ideal, but this also reveals some things about the event. Tesla said that this can only be held outdoors, meaning it bodes well for the rumors that the vehicle could potentially hover.
Some believe that this was essentially confirmed by the FAA airspace restriction they were granted, but this could have been for a drone show or to keep drones from spying on the event.
Tesla Roadster is available for order once again following brief hold
The Roadster event has been long-awaited, and it is unfortunate that the weather is going to keep us all waiting a little bit longer.
The Tesla Roadster will be unveiled in Waco, Texas.
Tesla showrooms picked clean ahead of Q3 end as demand looks strong
Watch Tesla’s “guardian angel” FSD feature take over for collision evasion
