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Tesla Model X Production Line Coming to Life
Elon Musk is proud of the new assembly line at the Fremont factory, which can be configured to build two different cars depending on consumer demand.

Elon Musk teases new Tesla production line powered by sea of robots
The Tesla Fremont factory recently shut down to add Production Line 2. The new line will be able to build both Model S and Model X automobiles — and it looks scarier than ever. Elon Musk’s recent Instagram photo of the new production line says there are a total of 542 robots installed along the line, with 15 working simultaneously at the central assembly point. Sharp eyed viewers insist there is a Model X chassis being worked on underneath all those robots.
>>>> HOT: Tesla opens up its Model X Design Studio to Signature reservation holders
Since the Model X crossover SUV will be built on much the same chassis as the Model S sedan, the ability to dynamically adjust the production line by model will provide a degree of flexibility unheard of in the industry. It will also help the company learn how to build the upcoming mass market Model 3 efficiently so the company can achieve its goal of making 500,00 cars a year by 2020.
https://instagram.com/p/6-7QX2QEba/?taken-by=elonmusk
Musk’s enthusiasm for his shiny new army of robots is in sharp contrast to his avowed aversion to the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. He told the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics department’s Centennial Symposium last October, “I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I were to guess like what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that. … Increasingly scientists think there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do something very foolish.” Then he added: “With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon.”
Before that meeting took place, he tweeted:
Hope we're not just the biological boot loader for digital superintelligence. Unfortunately, that is increasingly probable
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2014
Then in January of this year, he donated $10,000,000 to help find ways to control Artificial Intelligence, calling it “potentially more dangerous than nukes.”
“It’s best to try to prevent a negative circumstance from occurring than to wait for it to occur and then be reactive,” Musk said. “This is a case where the range of negative outcomes, some of them are quite severe. It’s not clear whether we’d be able to recover from some of these negative outcomes. In fact, you can construct scenarios where recovery of human civilization does not occur. When the risk is that severe, it seems like you should be proactive and not reactive.”
In July, Elon Musk joined with Stephen Hawking and 1,000 other noted scientist in petitioning the United Nations to ban the development and use of autonomous weapons. The letter was presented at the 2015 International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Is there any danger that the robots on Tesla Production Line 2 will run amok and threaten the good citizens of Fremont with mayhem or subject them to involuntary servitude? Probably not. But they should be aware that, no matter how proud of them Elon Musk may be, he will always be keeping a watchful eye on them.
Source: Washington Post/The Verge

News
Tesla’s new Model Y gets first software update—Here’s what’s in it
Tesla’s new Model Y started delivering over the past few weeks, and its first software update is now here.

Tesla has officially started deploying its first software update for the recently refreshed Model Y, and it appears to add additional parts of a beta version of the Auto Shift feature, as highlighted by one owner this week.
After Tesla began deploying its software update 2025.8.6 over the past few days, photos from a couple of owners show that the refreshed Model Y has also started receiving the update. One Model Y owner, X user LRESP, posted on Sunday that the update also enables the latest version of Tesla’s beta Auto-Shift feature, as was echoed by another user in the thread.
Although some have pointed out that the new Model Y already had Auto-Shift enabled, the user points out that this update includes the version of the feature that allows three-point turns, though previous versions only allowed it to get out of park.
You can see the message displayed on the Model Y owner’s vehicle below, along with a few other notes about the recent software update.
Tesla’s Auto Shift (Beta) on Model Y
Auto Shift is currently in Beta.
For parking and multipoint turns, Auto Shift (Beta) can assist with shifting out of Park (P) or between Drive (D) and Reverse (R) drive modes based on your surroundings without you using the touchscreen.
Before you press the accelerator pedal, always check that the proposed drive mode matches your expectations and that it is safe to move in that direction.
Auto Shift (Beta) will only shift between Drive (D) or Reverse (R) drive modes in certain circumstances, and when transitioning out of Park (P) – not any other drive mode or situation. You must manually shift using the drive mode strip if the vehicle doesn’t do so.
Before you enable this feature, be sure that you understand how to operate the drive mode strip.
Do you want to enable Auto Shift while it is in Beta?
[No][Yes]

Credit: RE_LuisEV | X
Auto Shift between D & R is arguably one of the most underrated features of Tesla’s vehicles.
It’s something that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. But once experienced, it’s pretty difficult to go back.pic.twitter.com/m60nDslbhy
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 13, 2025
READ MORE ON TESLA MODEL Y: Tesla redesigned this crucial piece of hardware on the new Model Y
Tesla’s software update 2025.8.6
Along with Auto-Shift, Tesla has also added a number of other features with software update 2025.8.6, as shared a few days ago by Not a Tesla App. The update is also going out to legacy vehicles and Cybertrucks, and while the Auto-Shift beta addition is the only feature exclusively going out to the new Model Y, a handful of minor improvements are going out to most or all of Tesla’s lineup.
These include the ability to view the last 10, 100, or 200 miles of energy usage in the Consumption page, and the ability to clear your energy history. Tesla also notes that the battery’s energy estimates now account for all vehicle usage characteristics, along with being adjusted over time based on your driving history.
The update also lets owners run a Battery Health Test, which measures battery energy retention since the vehicle was new. This option can be found in the Controls, Service, and Battery Health menus.
Select Model Y units with model years between 2022 and 2024 have now been updated to use the cabin radar, a feature which is now being deployed standard with the refreshed version of the SUV.
The update also includes security fixes and other improvements that aren’t specifically documented, which went out to the company’s entire lineup.
These include some improvements to voice guidance and spoken directions, including that they automatically and immediately stop when ending a trip, rather than finishing phrases that have already started being spoken.
Additionally, Tesla improved the rainbow road feature in the update, no longer overlaying the visual overtop of the blue Autopilot visualization as it did in past updates. It also still incorporates certain Autopilot features, such as the display of arrows when the vehicle suddenly slows down.
For the Cybertruck, the update adds steer-by-wire improvements and the ability to adjust air suspension ride height using the Tesla mobile app. Meanwhile, the update also makes it so that Model 3 vehicles automatically transition to Standard Ride & Handling when Autopilot is engaged, though it can be disabled by navigating to Controls, Dynamics, and Use Standard Ride & Handling in Autopilot within the menus.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin hits new milestone by producing 500,000th Model Y
The achievement was announced on social media platform X.

Tesla has produced its 500,000th Model Y at Giga Berlin-Brandenburg.
The achievement was announced on social media platform X through the company’s Tesla Manufacturing account.
A Production Milestone
A photo posted on X featured Tesla Gigafactory Berlin employees posing with a freshly-produced new Model Y. The milestone was celebrated in the facility, as hinted at by numerous balloons and confetti at the end of the all-electric crossover’s production line.
Giga Berlin-Brandenburg was officially opened on March 22, 2022. With this in mind, it would appear that it took the facility just over 1,100 days to produce half a million Model Ys. That’s not as fast as other facilities like Giga Shanghai, but Giga Berlin’s contributions to Tesla’s global output are still notable.
Giga Berlin’s Path and Hurdles
Initially known as Gigafactory 4, Giga Berlin began construction in 2020. The facility’s buildout faced several delays, from the pandemic to environmental and administrative issues. Tesla ultimately held a “Giga Fest” event in October 2021 and formally opened the factory on March 22, 2022 after securing final approval.
Tesla’s Q4 and FY 2024 Update Letter lists Giga Berlin’s annual production capacity at over 375,000 vehicles. It should be noted, however, that Tesla has plans to expand Gigafactory Berlin, allowing the facility to produce more vehicles.
So far, Giga Berlin only produces the new Model Y, Tesla’s best-selling car. The facility supplies the vehicle to several markets, from Germany to several other countries. As per factory manager André Thierig, “We not only manufacture vehicles for the German market, but also for 37 other markets, both within and outside the EU.”
News
Tesla China launches new low-interest promos on Model Y, Model 3
New zero- and low-interest financing terms arrive for both the Tesla Model Y and Model 3.

Tesla China has launched new promotions on the recently released Model Y refresh and the Model 3, offering special zero-interest loans for the next few weeks.
On Monday, Tesla began offering zero-interest loans with one- to three-year terms on purchases of the new Model Y, available between April 1 and 30 on the company’s order configurator. In addition, the automaker is offering a one- to five-year interest plan with annual rates as low as 1 percent when buyers make a down payment of at least RMB 45,900 (~$6,325).
Tesla China’s April 2025 Model Y promotions

Credit: Tesla China
You can read more details on Tesla China’s zero-interest promotion below, as detailed on the order configurator page and translated into English from Chinese.
Rejuvenated Model Y rear-wheel drive version, long-range all-wheel drive version – limited-time 0-interest/low-interest loan scheme
Customers who purchase the new Model Y rear-wheel-drive version/long-range all-wheel drive version/long range during the event from April 1, 2025 to April 30, 2025, and deliver and pay in the order before the expiration date of the vehicle, customers who meet the application qualification can apply for the following financial preferential schemes:
-
- Starting from RMB 79,900, you can enjoy a 1 to 3 year 0 interest plan
- From the down payment of RMB 45,900, you can enjoy a 1- to 5-year low-interest program with an annual rate of 1.00 percent (from 1.84 percent).
Tesla China’s April 2025 Model 3 promotions

Credit: Tesla China
The company is also offering five-year, zero-interest financing for the Model 3 RWD and AWD Long Range, and you can see the terms for the zero- and low-interest Model 3 promotions and others below:
Model 3 rear-wheel drive version, long-range all-wheel drive version – limited-time 0-interest/low-interest loan solution
Customers who purchase a designated version of the Model 3, long-range all-wheel-drive version, long-range all-wheel-drive version, and delivery and payment terms in the order during the event from April 1, 2025 to April 30, 2025, customers who meet the eligibility requirements can apply for the following financial preferential schemes:
-
- Starting at RMB 79,900, you can enjoy a 1 to 5 year 0 interest plan
- Starting from RMB 45,900, you can enjoy a 1 to 5 year low interest program with an annual rate of 0.5 percent (from 0.92 percent per annum)
Additionally, Model 3 buyers can get discounted rates on home charging equipment, or a six-year Supercharging package offering up to 30,000km (~18,641 miles) of charging for free.
Tesla posts an onboarding tutorial video for its customers in China, starring the new Model Y.
Here comes the new Model Y ramp!pic.twitter.com/Dm8NQsdQGj— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 5, 2025
READ MORE ON TESLA CHINA: Tesla China seems to have overtaken Q1 2024’s registrations with new Model Y ramp
Tesla first launched the refreshed Model Y in China in January, debuting the refaced vehicle with a special “Launch Edition” series that came with special badging and an extra two years or 40,000km (~24,855 miles) of warranty time. Deliveries of the Launch Edition Model Y began in China late last month, and Tesla officially transitioned to selling non-Launch models in the first few days of March.
For the Chinese market and several others, Tesla produces the Model Y and Model 3 at a Gigafactory in Shanghai. In recent weeks, reports have suggested that Giga Shanghai may also be looking to produce an even cheaper version of the new Model Y without some of the extra add-ons, perhaps not unlike the cheaper Model 3 that launched in Mexico last August.
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