Overview
- The video, recorded with plant manager André Thierig in Austin and played to workers in Grünheide, warned the factory would not expand if “outside organizations” gained sway.
- Musk said Tesla would not close the plant but would freeze growth, tying any expansion to the site remaining “free from external influences.”
- IG Metall is the largest faction on the current works council without a majority, with about 10,700 employees set to vote in early March.
- The clash has moved into legal channels, with IG Metall filing a defamation complaint against Thierig, Tesla alleging a secret recording that prompted a police laptop seizure, and the union saying both sides agreed to a pre-election truce.
- Musk said cell production has “just started” at the site and predicted March 20 approval to sell Full Self-Driving in the Netherlands, while touting potential Cybercab and Optimus output as European sales weaken and reports cite staff cuts.