American electric car manufacturer Tesla intends to increase production at its factory near Berlin this year, despite the difficult market situation in Germany.
Production already grew in every quarter last year as planned, factory director Andre Thierig said in an interview with dpa.
"Therefore, we look to the new year with optimism and expect further growth," Thierig said, according to SEEbiz.
According to the company, around 11 employees at the gigafactory in the state of Brandenburg produce around five thousand vehicles per week, equivalent to around 250 vehicles per year.
"We have managed to secure jobs here and have never been hit by production disruptions or layoffs like other industrial locations in Germany," Thierig said.
The location was expanded last year with significant investments not only in the model launch, but also in the construction of a new building for pre-production vehicles.
Canada has also been added as a market, allowing buyers in that country to purchase vehicles at a lower price, as they are not subject to higher US import tariffs.
The automotive industry is in a global profitability crisis. In Germany, the electric car market has recovered, but Tesla is still struggling. From January to November last year, 17,36 new Tesla cars were registered, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, a decrease of about 48 percent compared to the same period last year.
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