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Tesla Gigafactory 4 update: 187 pounds of Word War II ammunition found on site
The Interior Ministry of Brandenburg reported that roughly 187 pounds of ammunition have been recovered on almost 60 hectares of land in the Grunheide forest where Tesla will build the Gigafactory 4, the company’s first car factory in Europe and the second outside the United States.
Authorities estimate that there are 220 bomb craters on the build site where they might recover about 25 unexploded bombs from the World War II era, according to a report by WBOC.
While the construction of access roads to the Gigafactory 4 site continues, the area has been declared as restricted to local explorers. The Grunheide forest is now off-limits to non-personnel as a safety measure while work is going on and while the clearing team scans for unexploded WWII explosives.
The clearing operation started earlier this month when the team and authorities learned that there could be vintage bombs where Gigafactory 4 will rise.
“It turned out (…) that contrary to original expectations, World War II ammunition is suspected on the site – specifically American aviation bombs,” said Environment Minister Axel Vogel.
-->Tesla’s top priority is to first clear a 90-hectare parcel of the property that will be used for the initial stage of the build. The team wants to clear the area of vintage bombs, cut off trees, and move animals from the forest by Feb.27 because March is when the mating season of birds in the forest begins and when cutting of trees is prohibited.
Tesla plans to begin construction of the GF4 by mid-March and aim to start vehicle production by July 2021. The factory will create about 8,000 jobs for locals and nearby countries and will produce 150,000 vehicles during its initial phase.
Earlier this week, a Tesla spokesperson confirmed that the board of directors of the Palo Alto, California-based electric car manufacturer approved the purchase agreement for the 300-hectare property in Grunheide. The initial price for the expansive man-made forest was set at 40.91 million euros or roughly $45 million but the state government is still waiting for a report from an independent firm that will re-assess the value of the land. Tesla and the Brandenburg government have agreed to revise the price of the Gigafactory 4 lot if the second appraisal finds the first one too low. The initial deal puts the pricing of the industrial land at just 13.5 euros per square meter, or just about a third of nearby properties.
Aside from vintage bombs, Tesla is also dealing with local protesters who are concerned about the water consumption of the Tesla car factory and its effect on their water supply. The electric car manufacturer has set up an information center to deal with these concerns. There are also local Tesla supporters who try to convince the community about the benefits the Gigafactory 4 will bring to Grunheide and their families.
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Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands.
The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.
The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.
Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun.
“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website.
-->This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
News
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month.
Tesla’s sales momentum in China strengthened in November, with wholesale volumes rising to 86,700 units, reversing a slowdown seen in October.
New data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) shows a 9.95% year-on-year increase and a 40.98% jump month-over-month. This was partly driven by tightened delivery windows, targeted marketing, and buyers moving to secure vehicles before changes to national purchase tax incentives take effect.
Tesla’s November rebound coincided with a noticeable spike in Model Y interest across China. Delivery wait times extended multiple times over the month, jumping from an initial 2–5 weeks to estimated handovers in January and February 2026 for most five-seat variants. Only the six-seat Model Y L kept its 4–8 week estimated delivery timeframe.
The company amplified these delivery updates across its Chinese social media channels, urging buyers to lock in orders early to secure 2025 delivery slots and preserve eligibility for current purchase tax incentives, as noted in a CNEV Post report. Tesla also highlighted that new inventory-built Model Y units were available for customers seeking guaranteed handovers before December 31.
This combination of urgency marketing and genuine supply-demand pressure seemed to have helped boost November’s volumes, stabilizing what had been a year marked by several months of year-over-year declines.
-->For the January–November period, Tesla China recorded 754,561 wholesale units, an 8.30% decline compared to the same period last year. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory continues to operate as both a domestic production base and a major global export hub, building the Model 3 and Model Y for markets across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, among other territories.
Tesla bear Michael Burry got blunt with his beliefs over the company’s valuation, which he called “ridiculously overvalued” in a newsletter to subscribers this past weekend.
“Tesla’s market capitalization is ridiculously overvalued today and has been for a good long time,” Burry, who was the inspiration for the movie The Big Short, and was portrayed by Christian Bale.
Burry went on to say, “As an aside, the Elon cult was all-in on electric cars until competition showed up, then all-in on autonomous driving until competition showed up, and now is all-in on robots — until competition shows up.”
Tesla bear Michael Burry ditches bet against $TSLA, says ‘media inflated’ the situation
For a long time, Burry has been skeptical of Tesla, its stock, and its CEO, Elon Musk, even placing a $530 million bet against shares several years ago. Eventually, Burry’s short position extended to other supporters of the company, including ARK Invest.
Tesla has long drawn skepticism from investors and more traditional analysts, who believe its valuation is overblown. However, the company is not traded as a traditional stock, something that other Wall Street firms have recognized.
While many believe the company has some serious pull as an automaker, an identity that helped it reach the valuation it has, Tesla has more than transformed into a robotics, AI, and self-driving play, pulling itself into the realm of some of the most recognizable stocks in tech.
Burry’s Scion Asset Management has put its money where its mouth is against Tesla stock on several occasions, but the firm has not yielded positive results, as shares have increased in value since 2020 by over 115 percent. The firm closed in May.
In 2020, it launched its short position, but by October 2021, it had ditched that position.
Tesla has had a tumultuous year on Wall Street, dipping significantly to around the $220 mark at one point. However, it rebounded significantly in September, climbing back up to the $400 region, as it currently trades at around $430.
It closed at $430.14 on Monday.
Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign
Tesla sees sharp November rebound in China as Model Y demand surges
