Tesla’s leadership in Germany is coming out swinging against local media, accusing a major outlet of running a calculated campaign of "false information" to stir up trouble at the company’s European manufacturing hub.
André Thierig, the Senior Director of Manufacturing at Gigafactory Berlin, took to LinkedIn recently to "set the record straight" regarding a report from the German publication Handelsblatt. The report claimed the factory only produced 149,000 Model Ys in 2025, a figure Thierig calls flat-out wrong. According to Thierig, Giga Berlin actually produced over 200,000 vehicles in 2025 despite a temporary production halt early in the year to reconfigure manufacturing lines for the new Model Y.
Setting the Production Record Straight
Thierig didn't stop at just correcting the numbers. He slammed the publication for suggesting the factory is in crisis, noting that production actually increased every quarter compared to the previous one in 2025. He also revealed that Tesla is planning a further increase for the first quarter of 2026.
"The Handelsblatt degenerates into the mouthpiece of IG Metall," Thierig wrote, suggesting the media outlet is working in tandem with the German metalworkers’ union to "create fear and uncertainty among the workforce and thus influence voter behavior". He even poked fun at the publication’s claim that Tesla had a profit margin of just 0.74%, attributing the figure to their "secret 'arithmetic skills'".
The Backstory: Tesla vs. IG Metall
This war of words is part of a much larger battle for the soul of Giga Berlin. On one side is Tesla’s fast-moving, non-unionized American tech culture; on the other is the deeply entrenched German tradition of labor unions.
IG Metall currently represents the largest coalition on the Giga Berlin works council, but they don't have an outright majority. With elections for a new council slated for early March, the tension is at an all-time high. Elon Musk recently weighed in, telling employees he would approve massive expansions for Giga Berlin and even bring Semi, Optimus, and Cybercab production to the factory — but only if they vote to keep external organizations like IG Metall from steering the company in the "wrong direction".
Tesla is also currently embroiled in a labor dispute in Sweden with IF Metall (a completely separate labor union and not to be confused with Germany’s IG Metall) showing that the company's anti-union stance is a core part of its European strategy.
Why the Sentiment?
Thierig believes the negative reporting serves two goals: supporting the union's agenda and driving clicks. "Scandals in connection with Tesla click great," he noted, calling the coverage "campaign journalism" designed to generate income from sensationalism.
As the Giga Berlin workforce prepares to head to the polls next week, the stakes couldn't be higher. Tesla is offering the chance to build the future of robotics and autonomy in Germany, provided employees choose to stick with the "Tesla way" over traditional union representation. Whether this public call-out helps sway the vote remains to be seen.
