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Tesla Gigafactory 3 in China to finish initial construction in summer after groundbreaking event
Elon Musk has arrived in China for the groundbreaking ceremony of Gigafactory 3. Set to be built in Shanghai’s Lingang Industrial Zone, the upcoming facility is expected to produce both batteries and electric cars for the Chinese market. Vehicles that would be produced in Gigafactory 3 include the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y SUV.
Clues about Tesla’s Gigafactory 3 groundbreaking event emerged this weekend, ironically after Tesla’s critics shared information about the route of Elon Musk’s private airplane. By late Sunday (early Monday morning in China), invitations for the event emerged online. Tesla owner-enthusiast @vincent13031925, for one, shared an image of an invitation for the Gigafactory 3 groundbreaking event, forwarded by a Shanghai Tesla Owner’s Group member.
As could be seen in the event’s invitation, guests for the Gigafactory 3 groundbreaking event can check-in as early as 14:30 local time. The event itself is expected to begin around 15:00-15:30 local time.
On late Sunday US time, Elon Musk confirmed his presence in China, stating that he was looking forward to the Gigafactory 3 groundbreaking ceremony. Musk also provided some details on the project’s timeline, stating that Tesla is aiming to complete the facility’s initial construction this summer, followed by Model 3 production beginning at the end of the year. High-volume Model 3 production in Gigafactory 3 is expected to start sometime next year. In a follow-up tweet, Musk added that the Model 3 and Model Y produced in the facility would serve the greater China region.
Aiming to finish initial construction this summer, start Model 3 production end of year & reach high volume production next year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2019
Prior to Elon Musk’s arrival, Gigafactory 3’s site, an 864,885-square meter plot of land in Shanghai’s Lingang Industrial Zone, has already been seeing a lot of activity. Last month, for example, a perimeter fence around the massive site was completed, paving the way for more work to be done. Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong and Vice Mayor Wu Qing also met with Tesla and its construction partners to encourage them to expedite the buildout of the battery and electric car factory.
Earlier this month, documents were shared online pointing to Tesla acquiring a construction permit to start building facilities for Gigafactory 3. Granted by the Shanghai Municipal Government, the permit is good for two stages of construction and effective for 180 days, beginning on December 29, 2018. The contractor listed for the project was China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Construction, a government-owned construction firm.
Interest in Gigafactory 3 appears to be high among China’s upstart workers. During a job fair that Tesla held for the facility at the Lingang Industrial Zone, the company ended up overwhelmed with applications that it was forced to extend its hiring hours. Some applicants interviewed by local media even revealed that they were from faraway cities, and they traveled hours just to get an opportunity to apply for one of the open positions for the upcoming facility.
Stay tuned for more updates as we follow this developing story.
Getting ready for the Tesla China Shanghai Gigafactory groundbreaking ceremony today!! $TSLA #Tesla #China #GF3 #TeslaChina pic.twitter.com/BnZFvspdfS
— vincent (@vincent13031925) January 7, 2019
Update on 1:55 p.m., Monday local time (8:55 p.m. Sunday PST). Elon Musk appears to have arrived at Gigafactory 3’s location.
Update: Shanghai Tesla owners club member reports: Elon Musk just arrived Shanghai GF3 ground breaking ceremony location. $TSLA #Tesla #China #GF3 #TeslaChina pic.twitter.com/Fc2HG1iFvM
— vincent (@vincent13031925) January 7, 2019
A Tesla upfitter has offered to take over Cybertruck lines from the company in a last-ditch effort to save the all-electric pickup from being completely canceled in the middle of 2027.
Unplugged Performance, the Hawthorne, California-based Tesla aftermarket specialist, has publicly offered to take over Cybertruck production from Tesla, funding the effort “through a consortium of investors.”
An open offer to Tesla: We fully support putting Cybercab first, and we’d be glad to take the Cybertruck line off your hands.
We’d fund it with a consortium of investors and run it at no cost to Tesla’s floor space, headcount, or focus. All of that goes to Cybercab. Cybercab gets first call on battery cells too. We’ll wait our turn.
Tesla gains incremental profit: a license fee, plus FSD and Robotaxi network revenues on every vehicle built.
We’d build the Cybertruck, a three-row CyberSUV, and an unmanned CyberCargo hauler. More autonomous miles, across every surface of this planet and beyond.
Worth a conversation?— UP (@UnpluggedTesla) November 10, 2026
The proposal comes as Tesla prioritizes its Cybercab Robotaxi program and prepares to wind down Cybertruck assembly at Gigafactory Texas around mid-2027.
Founded in 2013 by Ben Schaffer and located adjacent to Tesla’s Design Studio and SpaceX, Unplugged Performance has become a leading provider of premium upgrades for Tesla vehicles, including extensive Cybertruck packages under its UP INVINCIBLE line.
Through its UP.FIT division, the company has also developed purpose-built police and fleet versions of the Cybertruck, including deliveries to agencies such as the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
In an X post on Tuesday, Unplugged said:
“An open offer to Tesla: We fully support putting Cybercab first, and we’d be glad to take the Cybertruck line off your hands. We’d fund it with a consortium of investors and run it at no cost to Tesla’s floor space, headcount, or focus. All of that goes to Cybercab. Cybercab gets first call on battery cells too. We’ll wait our turn. Tesla gains incremental profit: a license fee, plus FSD and Robotaxi network revenues on every vehicle built. We’d build the Cybertruck, a three-row CyberSUV, and an unmanned CyberCargo hauler. More autonomous miles, across every surface of this planet and beyond. Worth a conversation?”
The arrangement would free Tesla resources and manufacturing capacity for Cybercab while allowing continued production of the stainless-steel pickup and expanded variants. Unplugged Performance indicated it would wait for battery cells after Cybercab needs are met and would generate ongoing revenue for Tesla through licensing and software/network services on the vehicles it produces.
Following strong initial interest, Unplugged Performance posted a follow-up inviting potential investors and strategic partners to email cyber@unpluggedperformance.com. The company clarified that the outreach is solely to gauge interest and does not constitute an offer to sell securities or acceptance of funds at this stage.
The proposal arrives shortly after Elon Musk indicated that Cybertruck production in Texas would be phased out by roughly the middle of 2027 to expand Cybercab output.
Whether Tesla engages with the offer remains to be seen, but the public overture highlights both the aftermarket specialist’s deep experience with the Cybertruck platform and the growing focus on autonomy within Tesla’s manufacturing plans.
Elon Musk said the Tesla Cybercab will perform “a majority of all passenger miles” where it is allowed to operate and that point is “obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.”
Musk used the point to double down on the company’s decision to ax the cult-favorite Cybertruck, as its production space will be removed and transitioned into additional Cybercab lines. The move has catalyzed a polarizing conversation on whether its right or wrong.
Whatever side you are on — it’s happening.
Dodge ended the Viper.
Audi retired the R8.
Mitsubishi said goodbye to the Lancer Evo.
Ford bid farewell to the Bronco (at one point).
Chevrolet sunset the Camaro.Tesla is ending the Cybertruck. I’m pissed. I’m upset.
Fans of those five automakers mentioned did the same thing. It happens. It sucks. I don’t like it.
But I still love Tesla. I love my Model Y. I hoped to be in a Cybertruck in a little under two years.
I won’t be. But I still won’t put my family in anything else. Too safe. Too advanced. Too much better than everything else.
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 10, 2026
Regardless, Musk seems to be getting to the point that he is done talking about the choice. At some point, you have to think that this was truly a difficult decision for him and the company as well, and this is not something he took lightly. In fact, he’s probably a little bit disappointed with it, too.
But the point remains that the Cybertruck is gone. Musk’s focus is purely on developing an autonomous platform that the world will utilize for transportation, and he’s telling you that anyone “with eyes and a brain” can see it:
@PalmerLuckey @carlhancock Cybercab will do a majority of all passenger miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.
Obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2026
Tesla is betting that all of its passengers in the future will be okay with not owning their own personal cars and will be fine with ride-hailing for the rest of their lives. Every dinner, every errand, every trip to the airport and transportation thereafter, will all be operated by ride-sharing, and in Tesla’s perfect world, it will happen in a Cybercab.
As of now, Cybercab is only active in Austin, but it has been spotted all over the country with a driver behind the wheel in those prototypes. In Austin, the car has no steering wheel or pedals for people to control the vehicle.
The Cybertruck dilemma is one that has truly come across the entire Tesla community and while it seems to be a great idea to keep it because people love it, the business side of things is steering Musk and Tesla in another direction.
Tesla has slimmed its Cybertruck offerings to offer only its most expensive trim: the Cyberbeast.
After announcing that the Cybertruck would no longer be produced and the company would wind down manufacturing sometime in the middle of 2027, Tesla started to eliminate some of the configurations offered to customers.
Tesla has stopped taking orders for the Cybertruck Premium AWD.
The Cyberbeast is now the only trim you can order, and its price went up $7,500 to $109,990.
Estimated deliveries have also slipped to March–June 2027 as the Giga Texas line heads toward its mid-2027 wind-down. https://t.co/o28epA0ZQl
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) November 10, 2026
Now, only one remains: the $109,990 Cyberbeast. This is truly what seems like Tesla’s last effort to deter any remaining orders from coming in: eliminate the cheap trims and leave only the high-dollar vehicle within the lineup of Cybertruck options.
Those who want to take advantage of this last-ditch opportunity to own Tesla’s symbolic pickup have to pay to play.
Tesla says the reason for the wind down is truly because of Cybercab and its importance to the future.
Despite cries for Tesla to continue production of the pickup, Musk says it is too difficult to ramp a high-volume line instead of ending the truck altogether. He also says Cybercab is what will take passengers around for the “majority of all miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.”
@PalmerLuckey @carlhancock Cybercab will do a majority of all passenger miles in any jurisdiction where it is not prohibited by law.
Obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2026
Tesla is going all in on autonomy, and that’s never been a secret. But the commitment to a two-door, two-seat Cybercab truly limits people from having options for labor or hobbies. It also limits people from having their entire family in a single car.
Parents with even a single child will be required to take multiple vehicles if Cybercab is truly the only option Tesla plans to have.
Elon Musk keeps justifying Tesla Cybertruck’s cancelation, but it’s confusing
Tesla has stated the Robovan will also be in production eventually, but it still does not seem like the most ideal vehicle to own. It seems like it is geared more toward commercial uses, but Tesla might have something in the pipeline for families.
Tesla upfitter offers to keep Cybertruck alive
Elon Musk says Tesla Cybercab future is ‘obvious to anyone with eyes and a brain’
