Tesla's Giga Berlin factory produced over 200,000 vehicles in 2025, according to plant manager Andre Thierig, countering a media report that estimated output at around 149,000 units. The dispute arises amid declining Model Y sales in Europe and tensions ahead of works council elections. Thierig highlighted quarterly production increases and future expansion plans.
Tesla's Gigafactory in Grünheide, Germany, its only plant in Europe, has become the center of a dispute over 2025 production figures. A Handelsblatt report, citing data from Inovev, claimed the facility produced 149,040 Model Y vehicles last year, down from 192,801 in 2024 and 211,235 in 2023. This would represent about 40% utilization of the site's annual capacity exceeding 375,000 vehicles, with a reported profit margin of 0.74%.
However, Andre Thierig, Senior Director of Manufacturing at Giga Berlin, disputed these numbers on LinkedIn, stating that production exceeded 200,000 vehicles despite a first-quarter pause to switch to the revamped Model Y, known as Juniper. He noted that output increased every quarter in 2025 compared to the previous one, reaching 5,000 units per week after the ramp-up. Thierig also announced plans for a further sequential increase in the first quarter of 2026. The IG Metall union, which corroborated Thierig's assessment, told Handelsblatt before publication that 149,000 seemed too low and output was likely above 200,000.
These conflicting reports come against a backdrop of weakening sales. Tesla sold around 235,000 vehicles in Europe in 2025, a 28% decline year-on-year, with German registrations falling 48%. Globally, Tesla's deliveries dropped 9.1% to about 1.6 million vehicles. Thierig emphasized that the Model Y has been the world's best-selling vehicle for three consecutive years, supplying well over half of global markets from Grünheide, where more than 700,000 units have been built since production started in 2022.
Tensions are heightened ahead of works council elections on March 2-4, 2026, involving 11,000 employees. IG Metall, holding 16 of 39 current seats, seeks a majority to push for a 35-hour workweek, standard at other German automakers but not Tesla. Recent disputes include a union defamation complaint against Thierig and a labor court injunction over an allegedly recorded meeting. CEO Elon Musk, in a video to employees, warned that expansion plans—including Semi trucks, Cybercab production, and battery cell ramp-up—could be reconsidered if the plant faces 'outside influence.' Tesla has invested over 5 billion euros in the site since 2020, with nearly 100 million more for battery cells, creating hundreds of jobs.
Thierig accused Handelsblatt of coordinating an 'anti-Tesla campaign' with IG Metall to influence voters and generate clicks, while denying overly positive portrayals of the factory's performance.
