Yes, Some Of These Tesla Models Are Made In China
There are some Tesla models made in China at Tesla's Gigafactory Shanghai. This Tesla plant is the company's first gigafactory located outside the U.S. and is the only car factory in China to be owned by a foreign automaker. Tesla's Shanghai plant opened in December of 2019 with the production of the Tesla Model 3, later adding Model Y production there as Phase Two of the company's Chinese gigafactory plan came to fruition.
As of September 2024, Tesla's Gigafactory Shanghai had reached its full production capacity of 950,000 combined units of the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y, which is not Tesla's most reliable vehicle in 2025. This represents Tesla's highest output at a single factory. Gigafactory Shanghai is also Tesla's major launch pad for exports worldwide, with its Shanghai output being shipped to the UK, Germany, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, the UAE, and Israel.
Even though a large number of Model 3 and Model Y vehicles are produced at Tesla's Gigafactory Shanghai, not all are made there. Tesla has a global footprint and uses it to make these two vehicles in other places besides China.
What Tesla cars come from Tesla factories outside of China?
The Model 3 is also produced at Tesla's original factory in Fremont, California. Tesla's most popular model, the Model Y, is made at Fremont, as well as at Gigafactory Texas, which Tesla has big plans for, and Gigafactory Berlin—Brandenburg.
The other Tesla models in the company's lineup, which consist of the very expensive Model S, the Model X, and the Cybertruck, are made in Tesla's U.S. factories, with the Model S and Model X being produced in Fremont and the Cybertruck coming off the production line at the Gigafactory Texas location.
These three Tesla models, which are made solely in the U.S., are then exported to a variety of markets around the world, with some notable recent exceptions. As of April 2025, Tesla had stopped taking orders for the Model S and Model X in China, due to tariff and trade issues between the U.S. and China. That same month, Tesla announced that it would be exporting its Cybertruck to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE. Unfortunately, the sheer size of the Cybertruck makes it difficult to sell in Tesla's key established markets in Europe and China (where high current tariffs would also impede sales).