The Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory has once again underscored its critical importance to the global EV landscape, celebrating a massive milestone on December 8, 2025. The four-millionth vehicle, a Starlight Gold Model Y, has rolled off the production line.
Tesla proudly announced that it took “just under 14 months to go from 3 to 4 million vehicles”, solidifying the Chinese plant’s status as a powerhouse, responsible for nearly half of Tesla’s global EV deliveries over the last six years.
While the number is huge, a closer look at the production timeline reveals a slightly less frantic pace. The “Tesla Speed” era was defined by the plant’s initial launch in 2019, going from groundbreaking to delivery in the same year. It took over 30 months to hit the first million units, then production drastically accelerated, achieving the second million in a blistering 387 days. However, the interval between the two most recent milestones shows a subtle deceleration. 2nd Million to 3rd Million in 414 days, and 3rd Million to 4th Million in 411 days.
The subtle lengthening of time between these multi-million-unit milestones (around 410 days, compared to the previously breakneck 387 days) suggests a fractional cooling in the production rate. This could be chalked up to market adjustments, supply chain factors, or simply a sign that even the most hyper-efficient factory must eventually obey the laws of physics and logistics.
Despite the slight drop in pace, the Shanghai Gigafactory remains the undisputed king of Tesla’s manufacturing network. Its production efficiency is staggering, even when compared to new domestic rivals. The 860,000 square meter facility easily outproduces contenders like the 720,000 square meter Xiaomi superfactory. Even at full capacity, Xiaomi’s annual output is projected to be only about half of Tesla’s current rate.
Hitting four million cars confirms that the Shanghai Gigafactory is still the highly productive pillar of Tesla’s entire strategy, even if they took a cheeky extra few weeks to achieve this latest golden milestone.
