Tesla begins groundwork to expand production

Tesla is gearing up to expand its Chinese factory, with production output expected to increase for its most popular electric vehicle – the Model 3.

An Environmental Impact Assessment uncovered by Troy Teslike on Twitter and reported by Teslarati shows the US carmaker will grow its Shanghai facility from 6000 workers to 9000 initially, with 19,000 employees eventually expected at the plant.

While the report states the additional factory workers are for a new production line, some commentators have suggested a more accurate translation points to a new production shift, with the Model 3 the most likely candidate.

Tesla reportedly delivered more than 936,000 electric cars in 2021 – an 87 per cent increase over the previous calendar year, when it recorded its first profits on the back of 500,000 sales.

According to Australian Tesla vehicle tracker VedaPrime, 10,000 Model 3s arrived on our shores in 2021 – or roughly the same amount of total vehicles sold by Tesla from 2014 to 2020.

Tesla has been teasing the prospect of a cut-price vehicle – thought to be called the Model 2 – which is being developed by its Chinese research and development centre, but indications are this vehicle won’t enter production until 2024 at the earliest.