dpa
Berlin
The factory of US electric carmaker Tesla in the German municipality of Grünheide, just outside Berlin, said it is optimistic about the future despite a downturn in the German market.
Tesla’s Grünheide factory manager, André Thierig, said the factory currently supplied 37 markets, mostly in Europe, but also in the Middle East and Taiwan.
He told dpa that he sees the carmaker’s only European factory as a "beacon in the auto industry.” It showed that "You can successfully produce e-cars in Germany,” Thierig added.
Sales of electric cars in Germany fell again in November, according to figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority.
Almost 35,200 new electric vehicles were registered during the month, including 2,200 Teslas, the authority said. The overall number of registrations dropped 22% compared to November the previous year.
Tesla, run by billionaire Elon Musk, wants to double Grünheide’s production from a planned 500,000 cars a year to 1 million a year.
"We are optimistic about the future,” Thierig said.
While the carmaker has received the green light from the state of Brandenburg for a first step, expansion plans are currently on hold due to the difficult market
situation.
Tesla has faced challenges since the start of the year, with production halted for about two weeks in January and February due to missing parts caused by attacks carried out by the Yemeni Houthi militia on ships in the Red Sea.
Tesla has also faced a growing number of protests by environmental activists, some of whom are camping in the forest near the factory, seeking to prevent the plant’s expansion.
"We would certainly have liked to have had one or two fewer disruptions, but overall we will still end the year positively,” Thierig said.