Summary
Tesla’s first overseas Gigafactory — high-volume Model 3 and Model Y in Lingang, built in about a year and then expanded in place.
Gigafactory Shanghai
High-volume Model 3 and Model Y production for China and export.
3
Y
Background
Announced in 2018, Giga Shanghai went from empty Lingang land to a running car plant in under a year. Phase 1 built Model 3; 2020 added the 3A/3B halls and a Model Y line. The site is Tesla’s export hub for Asia and Europe. Weekly drone flights through 2023 document the steel, roofs, lots, and later rooftop solar — then local filming largely stopped.
Timeline
-
Shanghai plant announced
Tesla signs up for a wholly owned factory in Lingang.
-
Construction start
Groundbreaking and first site work on empty reclaimed land.
-
After the lockdown
First public flyover after the spring 2022 Shanghai COVID shutdown.
-
Roof solar appears
Solar panels finally show up on the factory roof after years of empty roof.
-
About a million Model Y
Local filming marks roughly a million Model Ys from the plant.
-
Highland 3 / filming slows
Redesigned Model 3 goes on presale; the regular drone series stops.
Job listings
Open roles at Gigafactory Shanghai
US listings for this plant on Tesla Careers.
Timelapse
Yearly construction stills at Gigafactory Shanghai
Yearly slideshow from the same satellite stills as Compare — play a year of construction without leaving the page.
Drone flyovers
Aerial clips of Gigafactory Shanghai
Curated YouTube clips — newest first. Same campus, different altitude.