Tesla now operates the most productive car factory in the US

Tesla is now operating the most productive car factory in the US, according to a new report tracking all US auto factories.

Just a few years ago, many players in the auto industry couldn’t imagine that Tesla could become a major manufacturer. After all, it was the first US car startup to not go bankrupt since Ford. But over the last few years, Tesla has truly emerged into a major car manufacturer with an annual production rate of over 1 million cars as of the last quarter.

Much of that growth is coming from Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai, but the automaker is also growing at Fremont factory.

Bloomberg put together an interesting tracker of production at some of the biggest auto plant in North America, and Tesla’s Fremont factory takes the number one spot:

1. Tesla’s Fremont factory in Fremont, California: 8,550 cars a week
2. Toyota Motor Corp.’s juggernaut in Georgetown, Kentucky: 8,427 cars a week
3. BMW AG’s Spartanburg hub in South Carolina: 8,343 cars a week
4. Toyota’s Princeton factory in Indiana: 8,200 cars a week
5. Ford Motor Co.’s Kentucky truck plant: 7,600 cars a week

In times when most automakers see their production going down amidst the pandemic and the subsequent supply chain issues, Tesla actually managed to increase production at Fremont factory.

Combining the two trends, Tesla Fremont factory has managed to take the top spot (see Bloomberg’s article for an interactive version tracking all the factories):

Tesla is also apparently more efficient with its use of space at its factories.

In square-feet, Toyota has almost twice the space as Fremont factory, but produces about the same number of vehicles:

Also, Tesla is known as one of the most vertically integrated automakers as makes a lot of parts in-house, which helped the company grow during the supply chain issues. At Tesla’s last shareholders meeting, CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla plans to still grow at Fremont factory.

Of course, the automaker is also building a bigger (almost 8 million sq-ft.) factory in Austin, Texas.

Gigafactory Texas is expected to be even more efficient with Tesla building the new Model Y using its single-piece rear, front casting parts, and structural battery pack.

Tesla has previously indicated that the new factory could produce 1 million vehicles per year once it reaches full production. That’s almost 20,000 vehicles per week.