News
Tesla Giga Shanghai’s Model 3 production run-rate already hitting 91% of ambitious 2021 targets
Tesla Giga Shanghai produced 22,292 Model 3 vehicles in the month of October, according to vehicle production data from the Chinese Passenger Car Association (CPCA). Tesla’s production numbers came in second in the country after SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), which manufactured 29,843 units of its Mini EV micro electric car. BYD’s production numbers came in third with 22,268 units.
Tesla industry watcher @TroyTeslike noted that Gigafactory Shanghai produced 22,929 Model 3s in October. He calculated that the electric car maker achieved an annual run-rate of 275,148 vehicles per year at its current production pace. However, Tesla’s lightning-fast Shanghai factory is not known for maintaining the status quo. Not long ago Wall Street estimated that Tesla’s Shanghai plant would only produce 35,000 to 40,000 in its first year of operations.
Considering that Model 3 production is already at a run-rate of 275,000 vehicles per year in Giga Shanghai, it would appear that Tesla China is already at ~91% of its ambitious 2021 manufacturing target. Tesla China aims to manufacture 550,000 vehicles next year, 300,000 of which will be Model 3s. To reach its 2021 Model 3 production goals, Giga Shanghai would need to produce around 25,000 units of the all-electric sedan per month. That’s just a bit over 2,000 compared to Tesla’s October 2020 production figures.
Based on October’s numbers, Tesla China could reach its target 2021 Model 3 run rate by the end of the year, provided that it continues to steadily increase its production capabilities in the coming weeks. This may happen since the company is currently looking to deliver over 180,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter.
Once Giga Shanghai has reached its Model 3 production goals for next year, it can concentrate on its targets for the Model Y. Tesla China wants to hit the ground running by making 250,000 Model Y units in 2021. The Made-in-China Model Y was registered with the Chinese Ministry of Industry & Information Technology recently. Giga Shanghai just needs to wait for a permit to produce Tesla’s crossover. Sightings of the Made-in-China Tesla Model Y have been reported in China in recent weeks as well.
Just recently, the Chinese Passenger Car Association (CPCA) revealed that Tesla sold 12,143 Made-in-China Model 3s in October, translating to a 7.18% month-over-month growth compared to the previous month. In September, the EV automaker had sold 11,238 Model 3s in China. This may seem like a conservative improvement, but it should be noted that Tesla also exported 7,000 Model 3s to Europe in October.
The CPCA expects Giga Shanghai’s Model 3 sales to significantly increase in November and December, as mentioned by Tesla owner-investor @Ray4Tesla. Shanghai’s new regulations, which limits out-of-city vehicles within its major roads, could increase demand for the locally-made sedan. Giga Shanghai is also poised to export more Model 3s to Europe in the coming weeks, which could result in higher sales numbers from Tesla China in Q4.
Investor's Corner
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon. Musk replied, basically confirming it.
Elon Musk confirmed through a post on X that a SpaceX initial public offering (IPO) is on the way after hinting at it several times earlier this year.
It also comes one day after Bloomberg reported that SpaceX was aiming for a valuation of $1.5 trillion, adding that it wanted to raise $30 billion.
Musk has been transparent for most of the year that he wanted to try to figure out a way to get Tesla shareholders to invest in SpaceX, giving them access to the stock.
He has also recognized the issues of having a public stock, like litigation exposure, quarterly reporting pressures, and other inconveniences.
However, it appears Musk is ready for SpaceX to go public, as Ars Technica Senior Space Editor Eric Berger wrote an op-ed that indicated he thought SpaceX would go public soon.
Musk replied, basically confirming it:
As usual, Eric is accurate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2025
Berger believes the IPO would help support the need for $30 billion or more in capital needed to fund AI integration projects, such as space-based data centers and lunar satellite factories. Musk confirmed recently that SpaceX “will be doing” data centers in orbit.
AI appears to be a “key part” of SpaceX getting to Musk, Berger also wrote. When writing about whether or not Optimus is a viable project and product for the company, he says that none of that matters. Musk thinks it is, and that’s all that matters.
It seems like Musk has certainly mulled something this big for a very long time, and the idea of taking SpaceX public is not just likely; it is necessary for the company to get to Mars.
The details of when SpaceX will finally hit that public status are not known. Many of the reports that came out over the past few days indicate it would happen in 2026, so sooner rather than later.
But there are a lot of things on Musk’s plate early next year, especially with Cybercab production, the potential launch of Unsupervised Full Self-Driving, and the Roadster unveiling, all planned for Q1.
Tesla has added the 15th automaker to the growing list of companies whose EVs can utilize the Supercharger Network this year, as BMW is the latest company to gain access to the largest charging infrastructure in the world.
BMW became the 15th company in 2025 to gain Tesla Supercharger access, after the company confirmed to its EV owners that they could use any of the more than 25,000 Supercharging stalls in North America.
Welcome @BMW owners.
Download the Tesla app to charge → https://t.co/vnu0NHA7Ab
— Tesla Charging (@TeslaCharging) December 10, 2025
Newer BMW all-electric cars, like the i4, i5, i7, and iX, are able to utilize Tesla’s V3 and V4 Superchargers. These are the exact model years, via the BMW Blog:
- i4: 2022-2026 model years
- i5: 2024-2025 model years
- 2026 i5 (eDrive40 and xDrive40) after software update in Spring 2026
- i7: 2023-2026 model years
- iX: 2022-2025 model years
- 2026 iX (all versions) after software update in Spring 2026
With the expansion of the companies that gained access in 2025 to the Tesla Supercharger Network, a vast majority of non-Tesla EVs are able to use the charging stalls to gain range in their cars.
So far in 2025, Tesla has enabled Supercharger access to:
- Audi
- BMW
- Genesis
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Kia
- Lucid
- Mercedes-Benz
- Nissan
- Polestar
- Subaru
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
Drivers with BMW EVs who wish to charge at Tesla Superchargers must use an NACS-to-CCS1 adapter. In Q2 2026, BMW plans to release its official adapter, but there are third-party options available in the meantime.
They will also have to use the Tesla App to enable Supercharging access to determine rates and availability. It is a relatively seamless process.
News
Tesla adds new feature that will be great for crowded parking situations
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
Tesla has added a new feature that will be great for crowded parking lots, congested parking garages, or other confusing times when you cannot seem to pinpoint where your car went.
Tesla has added a new Vehicle Locator feature to the Tesla App with App Update v4.51.5.
This is the most recent iteration of the app and was priming owners for the slowly-released Holiday Update.
While there are several new features, which we will reveal later in this article, perhaps one of the coolest is that of the Vehicle Locator, which will now point you in the direction of your car using a directional arrow on the home screen. This is similar to what Apple uses to find devices:
Interesting. The location arrow in the Tesla app now points to your car when you’re nearby. pic.twitter.com/b0yjmwwzxN
— Whole Mars Catalog (@wholemars) December 7, 2025
In real time, the arrow gives an accurate depiction of which direction you should walk in to find your car. This seems extremely helpful in large parking lots or unfamiliar shopping centers.
Getting to your car after a sporting event is an event all in itself; this feature will undoubtedly help with it:
The nice little touch that Tesla have put in the app – continuous tracking of your vehicle location relative to you.
There’s people reporting dizziness testing this.
To those I say… try spinning your phone instead. 😉 pic.twitter.com/BAYmJ3mzzD
— Some UK Tesla Guy (UnSupervised…) (@SomeUKTeslaGuy) December 8, 2025
Tesla’s previous app versions revealed the address at which you could locate your car, which was great if you parked on the street in a city setting. It was also possible to use the map within the app to locate your car.
However, this new feature gives a more definitive location for your car and helps with the navigation to it, instead of potentially walking randomly.
It also reveals the distance you are from your car, which is a big plus.
Along with this new addition, Tesla added Photobooth features, Dog Mode Live Activity, Custom Wraps and Tints for Colorizer, and Dashcam Clip details.
🚨 Tesla App v4.51.5 looks to be preparing for the Holiday Update pic.twitter.com/ztts8poV82
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 8, 2025
All in all, this App update was pretty robust.
SpaceX IPO is coming, CEO Elon Musk confirms
Tesla adds 15th automaker to Supercharger access in 2025
