Tesla reconfigures its assembly line for Model X, takes plant down for 128 hours

Time to start making some Model Xes.

Tesla Motors shut down its production line Monday as part of a long-scheduled plan to retool the factory to increase production of the Model S sedan and prepare for the introduction of the Model X crossover SUV. “We’ll be back at regular production Aug. 4,” Simon Sproule, Tesla’s vice president of communications, said in an interview. “We’ll be down for 128 hours of regularly scheduled production time.” The new production line, which will cost roughly $100 million, is on the ground floor of the factory off Interstate 880 and will be used for both the Model S and forthcoming Model X. “It improves the overall flow for the plant,” Sproule said. “We’re installing new lines, reconfiguring the plant and making more use of the available space in Fremont.”

Interesting we still don’t know what the final product will look like. CEO Elon Musk noted at the recent shareholder conference that the design had changed significantly for the better since the latest prototypes had been displayed.