Tesla To Demolish, Update Fremont Production Line, Possibly For Facelifted Model 3

The so-called “Project Highland” Tesla Model 3 has been in the works for nearly a year.

Tesla Fremont Factory aerial view

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

May 16, 2023 at 9:40am ET

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Tesla will demolish a production line at its Fremont Gigafactory, where the Model 3 is currently being assembled and will install new equipment, according to filings seen by Teslarati.

As per the documents, Tesla applied to demolish “multiple equipment, tools, and utilities" lines at the Californian facility last week, which indicates that the American EV brand might be looking to upgrade the factory ahead of the production launch of the facelifted Model 3 known as “Project Highland,” which has been in the works for nearly a year.

This information hasn’t been confirmed, but it seems to align with the recent debunking from Tesla’s Chinese division which denied rumors that production of the refreshed all-electric sedan will soon start at the Shanghai Gigafactory, as previous reports have indicated.

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In a separate article, Teslarati writes that the fillings indicate the soon-to-be-replaced line is located inside General Assembly 4, or GA 4, which became an Internet darling a few years ago because it looked like Tesla was using a tent as a production facility for the Model 3 (it's actually called a spring structure).

Currently, only the Fremont and Shanghai locations assemble the Model 3, so it might make sense for the Elon Musk-led company to initially focus its production efforts on the United States market, where the entry-level model was the second best-selling battery-electric vehicle (BEV) last year, beaten only by its Model Y crossover sibling.

At this point, it’s worth mentioning that car manufacturers usually don’t destroy complete assembly lines ahead of putting a refreshed model into production. Instead, this type of action is typically reserved for when a drastically different vehicle is about to be built.

But with the most recent information that's floating around the internet claiming that “Project Highland” will have fewer components all-around, making for a structurally different vehicle and not just a cosmetic refresh, all the signs point toward the theory that the upgraded line will, in fact, be dedicated to the new Model 3.

Tesla is notoriously tight-lipped about everything new and it wouldn't be a surprise if it decided to keep every single piece of information regarding “Project Highland” under wraps until the car is eventually put on sale.

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However, we do know what the front of the car will look like, thanks to a photo posted on Reddit a while back, and a recent spy video revealed a redesigned steering wheel that's similar to the one fitted to the Semi.

As always, we'd like to know what you think about this latest development, so head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.