What is Tesla’s first factory built outside the United States?

Gigafactory Shanghai is Tesla’s first factory built outside the United States. Located in Shanghai, China, it became a major manufacturing and delivery hub for Tesla vehicles in the Chinese and wider Asian markets.

Construction began in 2019, and the facility was developed at exceptional speed compared with conventional automobile plants. Tesla began producing Model 3 vehicles there before expanding production to include the Model Y. The factory helped Tesla reduce shipping distances and import-related costs for customers in the region.

Gigafactory Shanghai is also notable because it was Tesla’s first wholly foreign-owned car plant in China after changes to China’s automotive-investment rules. Its opening strengthened Tesla’s international manufacturing network.

The name can cause confusion because Tesla uses “Gigafactory” for several sites. Nevada was Tesla’s first major battery factory, Berlin is its European manufacturing site, and Texas is a large American vehicle plant. Shanghai is specifically the first Tesla factory outside the United States.