Report: Tesla To Build Fabled Affordable Electric Car in Germany

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

We’re back here again. New reports state that Tesla is working toward an affordable EV model and note that it will produce the vehicles at its German location near Berlin. As these things tend to go with Tesla, the information came from an unnamed source, as reported by Automotive News.


The report noted that Tesla plans to build a car with a 25,000-Euro starting price, or just shy of $27,000. While the Model 3’s prices have fallen in recent times, the least expensive model in the line is $38,990 before tax credits and local incentives.


Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited the plant last week and thanked the staff for their hard work. Reports came from that meeting that he made the affordable vehicle announcement while visiting staff. The Model Y is already built in that location and is Europe’s best-selling EV.


The automaker has long worked toward a unique casting production method that cuts costs and complexity. While it makes vehicles harder to repair after a collision, the process can drastically reduce production time and costs.


Tesla doesn’t have a PR department and doesn’t typically telegraph its moves ahead of time, so there’s no way of knowing, or even asking, if or when it plans to bring the car to the United States. There is an appetite here for cheaper models, as automakers promised affordable EVs, only to roll out more expensive variants first. Chevy originally announced the Equinox EV with a $30,000 starting price, but as it approaches early deliveries, the base price has climbed to $35,000, and the almost $ 60,000 version is launching first.


[Image: gofra/Shutterstock.com]


Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by  subscribing to our newsletter.

Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

More by Chris Teague

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 22 comments
  • Kurkosdr Kurkosdr on Nov 07, 2023

    At this point, EV automakers should just offer an "10-year electricity voucher" that costs about the same on a monthly basis as the cost of filling up a gasoline car, and then offer price cuts for anyone who buys that voucher (by taking advantage the difference in price between gasoline and electricity). Basically, don't call it an installment plan.

  • Jeff Jeff on Nov 08, 2023

    "The automaker has long worked toward a unique casting production method that cuts costs and complexity. While it makes vehicles harder to repair after a collision, the process can drastically reduce production time and costs."


    The main take away I get from this article is that this unique casting production method is beneficial to Tesla in that it cuts costs and complexity. Tesla as with many manufacturers is less concerned about the ultimate consumer when it comes to easy of repair and cost of repairs. This is nothing new in that many components on today's vehicles are designed for ease of assembly. It is easier to put an evaporator core in a dashboard in the assembly of a vehicle and saves the manufacturer costs but replacement is harder and takes more labor thus making a replacement that might cost a couple of hundred dollars into one that can cost a thousand or more. That is just one example another example is with a timing chain or belt enclosed with a water pump inside the engine which saves space under the hood and costs in assembly of a vehicle but is more expensive in labor to replace and failure of either the water pump or the timing chain or belt could destroy the engine. Both components should be replaced at the same time.

  • Ronin What is the magical white swan event in the foreseeable future that will suddenly reverse the trend?Success tends to follow success, and likewise failure. The perception, other than among true believers, is that e-cars are a lost cause. Neither government fiat, nor government bribery, nor even the promise of superior virtue among one's peers have been enough to push past the early adapter curve. Either the bust-out is right now for e-cars, or it doesn't happen. Marketing 101.Even subtle language-manipulation, such as deeming those possessing common sense as suffering from some sort of vague anxiety (eg, "range anxiety") has not been enough to induce people to care.Twenty years from now funny AI-generated comedians will make fun of the '20s, and their obsession with theose silly half-forgotten EVs. They will point out that, yes, EVs actually ran on electricity generated by such organic fuels as coal and natural gas after all, and then they will perform synthesized laughter at us.
  • 3-On-The-Tree We lived in Wa and my father had a time share at whistler, last time we were there was around 98.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Yes it parallels the gorge, we stopped at the Britannia mining museum did the tour inside the old mine with big dump truck beside road. pretty cool.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Lou_BCBeen to Vancouver many times headed to Whistler Blackcomb to go cross county skiing and snowboarding. Beautiful place awesome snowboarding.
  • Lou_BC While we discuss Chinese cars, Chinese politics, and Chinese global desires, I'm looking at TTAC and Google display advertising for Chinese tires. They have nukes aimed at us but their money and products are acceptable to consumers and business?
Next