Where Are Tesla Cars Made? Factory-by-Model Guide (2026)
Tesla builds cars at four vehicle factories as of mid-2026: Fremont in California, Gigafactory Shanghai, Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg and Gigafactory Texas near Austin. Which one built your car depends on the model and, for the Model Y, on where it was sold. Two things you may have read are now out of date: Fremont no longer builds the Model S or Model X, and Gigafactory Nevada is still commissioning the Tesla Semi rather than building passenger cars.
Quick Answer
Per Tesla’s Q2 2026 shareholder update (released alongside the July 22, 2026 earnings call): Model 3 and Model Y come from California and Shanghai; Model Y also comes from Berlin and Texas; the Cybertruck and Cybercab are built in Texas. Model S and X production lines at Fremont were decommissioned. To check your own car, read the 11th character of the VIN: F is Fremont, A is Austin, B is Berlin, C is Shanghai.
Which Factory Builds Which Tesla Model
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The table below combines Tesla’s own installed-capacity table with the VIN plant codes from its service manual. The capacity column is a rating, not an output figure: Tesla’s own footnote says installed capacity is not the same as the current production rate, so we do not treat it as how many cars each plant actually makes.
| Factory | Location | Models (as of Q2 2026 update) | Installed annual capacity (Tesla) | VIN code (11th digit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fremont Factory | Fremont, California, USA | Model 3, Model Y. Model S and Model X lines decommissioned | Model 3 / Model Y: over 550,000 | F |
| Gigafactory Shanghai | Shanghai, China | Model 3, Model Y | Model 3 / Model Y: over 950,000 | C |
| Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg | Grünheide, near Berlin, Germany | Model Y | Model Y: over 375,000 | B |
| Gigafactory Texas | Austin, Texas, USA | Model Y, Cybertruck, Cybercab | Model Y over 250,000; Cybertruck over 125,000; Cybercab over 125,000 | A |
| Gigafactory Nevada | Nevada, USA | No passenger cars. Tesla Semi (commissioning), Roadster (design development), Powerwall (production) | Powerwall: over 6 GWh; Semi: not stated | Not in the manual table we read |
Source: Tesla Q2 2026 shareholder update, furnished to the SEC as Exhibit 99.1 (slide titled installed annual manufacturing capacity), and the VIN table in the Tesla Model Y service manual. Both were read in October 2026. Tesla changes its lineup quickly, so check the latest quarterly update before you rely on a row.
What Changed in 2026: Three Corrections to Older Answers
Many top answers to this question were written before 2026 and still repeat the old picture. Three details are worth correcting, because each one changes what you would tell a friend who is shopping for a Tesla.
Fremont no longer builds the Model S or Model X
Older guides call Fremont the exclusive home of the Model S and Model X. Tesla’s Q2 2026 update says the company has decommissioned the manufacturing lines for Models S and X at the Fremont Factory, and that construction for Optimus, its humanoid robot, began after those lines were removed. Fremont still appears in Tesla’s capacity table for Model 3 and Model Y, so it is a working car plant, just no longer a Model S or X plant. If you are shopping for a used S or X, the VIN code F on those cars still points to Fremont, because that is where they were built.
Gigafactory Nevada is not a Semi mass-production site yet
Some pages say the Tesla Semi is already in mass production in Nevada. Tesla’s July 2026 filing says the Semi remains on track for production this year at its new factory in Nevada, and its capacity table lists the Semi as commissioning with no capacity figure. In plain terms, that is a factory getting ready, not one at volume. The same table shows Powerwall production in Nevada at over 6 GWh and a Roadster program in design development.
Nevada is also not where your Model 3 or Model Y came from
The giant Nevada site is called a Gigafactory, which leads people to assume it assembles cars. In Tesla’s capacity table it carries no Model 3, Model Y, Model S or Model X line. If your VIN reads F, A, B or C in the 11th position, your car came from one of the four vehicle plants above.
How to Tell Which Factory Built Your Tesla (VIN Decoder)
Every Tesla has a 17-character vehicle identification number. Two positions answer most factory questions. According to the Tesla Model Y service manual, position 10 is the model year and position 11 is the plant of manufacture. Position 11 is the one that matters here.
| 11th character | Plant (per Tesla’s service manual) |
|---|---|
| A | Tesla Austin, TX (USA) |
| B | Tesla Berlin (Germany) |
| C | Tesla China (Giga Shanghai) |
| F | Tesla Fremont, CA (USA) |
Position 10 has a quirk that most explainers skip. In the same manual, the year code is the model year for Fremont and Texas cars but the calendar year built for Shanghai and Berlin cars. So a Shanghai car built in late 2024 can carry a different year letter than a Fremont car sold as the same model year. The letters in the manual table we read run from H for 2017 through S for 2025, with J for 2018, K for 2019, L for 2020, M for 2021, N for 2022, P for 2023 and R for 2024.
Example: a VIN with F in position 11 and S in position 10 would decode as a 2025 model-year car built at Fremont. Type your own VIN into the NHTSA VIN decoder to see the maker, plant and model year NHTSA has on file, then compare the plant with the table above.
Fremont Factory: Where It All Started
Fremont, California is the plant with the longest history among Tesla’s current vehicle sites, and its VIN letter is F. Tesla’s Q2 2026 table lists Model 3 and Model Y production in California with installed capacity of over 550,000 vehicles a year. Fremont is also the site where the Model S and Model X were built until the lines were decommissioned, and the same filing says first-generation Optimus production lines are being installed there. For buyers, the practical effect is simple: a new Tesla with F in position 11 is a Model 3 or Model Y, while an older one could also be an S or X.
Gigafactories Around the World
Tesla’s overseas plants are built to serve nearby markets. Gigafactory Shanghai is the largest by listed capacity, over 950,000 Model 3 and Model Y a year, and Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg is listed for the Model Y only, at over 375,000. Notice what is missing: Berlin has no Model 3 line in the table, and neither does Texas. A Model 3 whose VIN carries an A or a B is therefore worth a second look at the paperwork.
Tesla vehicles are therefore assembled in three countries: the United States (Fremont and Texas), China (Shanghai) and Germany (Berlin). Which plant fills a given order is Tesla’s decision, so a shared model name does not tell you the plant. The VIN does.
Gigafactory Texas: Model Y, Cybertruck and Cybercab
Gigafactory Texas near Austin has the most varied lineup of any Tesla plant. Tesla’s table lists three vehicle lines there: Model Y, Cybertruck and Cybercab, with the Cybertruck and Cybercab each shown at over 125,000 installed capacity and the Model Y at over 250,000. In the Q2 2026 update, Tesla says it started production of Cybercab, its purpose-built autonomous vehicle designed for its robotaxi fleet. Because Cybertruck and Model Y are built under the same roof, the VIN letter A does not tell you the model on its own. Check the model name on your registration or window sticker too.
Gigafactory Nevada: Batteries and the Semi, Not Passenger Cars
Tesla’s table lists Nevada for the Tesla Semi (commissioning), the next-generation Roadster (design development) and Powerwall home batteries (production, over 6 GWh). That is a very different job from the plants above, so Nevada sits outside the passenger-car count. If you only want the answer to where your Model 3 or Model Y was built, you can ignore Nevada.
Gigafactory Mexico: Not on Tesla’s Current List
A Mexico plant near Monterrey was discussed for years. It does not appear anywhere in the installed-capacity table of Tesla’s Q2 2026 update, so as of that report you should not count Mexico among the places Teslas are made. If Tesla restarts the project, it will show up in a future quarterly update before it shows up on your VIN.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Tesla cars made?
Tesla vehicles are built at Fremont, California (Model 3 and Model Y), Gigafactory Shanghai (Model 3 and Model Y), Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg in Germany (Model Y), and Gigafactory Texas near Austin (Model Y, Cybertruck and Cybercab). This is based on the installed-capacity table in Tesla’s Q2 2026 shareholder update.
Where is the Tesla Model Y made?
Per Tesla’s Q2 2026 capacity table, the Model Y is built in California, Shanghai, Berlin and Texas. Your car’s VIN tells you which: the 11th character is F for Fremont, A for Austin, B for Berlin and C for Shanghai, according to Tesla’s Model Y service manual.
Are Model S and Model X still being built?
No. Tesla’s Q2 2026 shareholder update says it has decommissioned the manufacturing lines for Models S and X at its Fremont Factory, and Fremont is installing Optimus robot lines.
Is Gigafactory Nevada a car factory?
No. Tesla’s capacity table lists Tesla Semi (status: commissioning), Roadster (design development) and Powerwall production in Nevada, but no Model 3, Model Y, Model S or Model X.
How do I find which factory built my Tesla?
Read the 11th character of your 17-character VIN. Tesla’s Model Y service manual lists A for Tesla Austin, B for Tesla Berlin, C for Tesla China (Giga Shanghai) and F for Tesla Fremont.
Does Tesla have a factory in Mexico?
Not as of Tesla’s Q2 2026 update. The installed-capacity table in that report lists no Mexico plant.
Conclusion
Tesla’s factory map changes often, which is why the quickest reliable answer is on the car itself: read position 11 of the VIN and match it to the table. For the company behind those factories, see who actually invented Tesla, and for what else Tesla builds, read whether Tesla makes gas cars.
Sources and date: Tesla Q2 2026 shareholder update (SEC Exhibit 99.1, tied to the July 22, 2026 earnings call), Tesla Model Y service manual VIN table, and NHTSA’s VIN decoder. Facts were checked in October 2026 and are reported as of those documents.
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