Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has revealed the carmaker will build the brand’s future entry-level EV at its German factory and could even add Semi production down the road.
The eccentric billionaire boss of the world’s most valuable car manufacturer recently visited the facility near Berlin for four hours to rouse workers after a targeted arson attack forced the firm to halt production for more than a week.
While speaking with workers, Musk said the brand’s so-called “Model 2” will “definitely come to Berlin in the long term,” but failed to provide any additional details about the plan. Tesla has been working on its long-promised $25,000 EV for quite some time and while it hasn’t released a timeline, some analysts have suggested it won’t reach mass production until 2027.
Read: Tesla Resumes Production At German Factory After Arson Attack
When the Tesla Model 2 does reach the market, it is expected to feature a radical design inspired by the Cybertruck. Production is initially expected to begin at the firm’s Texas factory and the $25,000 model will then spawn a fully-autonomous robotaxi variant.
Then there’s the Semi truck. While the ramp in production of the Semi has been slow, Musk revealed he likes the idea of building it in Germany.
“I think it makes sense to also produce the semi-truck in Europe in the Giga Berlin,” he said.
The Semi is currently being built exclusively at Gigafactory Nevada, albeit in small numbers. According to Handelsblatt, Musk hopes to increase production numbers of the truck towards the end of this year.
To grow production in Germany, Tesla is planning a massive 420-acre expansion of the site. It wants to clear a nearby forest to build a freight station, warehouses, and a company kindergarten but environmental activists have expressed fierce opposition to the plan and started living in three houses to try and save the forest.
