Cancelled
“We're also building Giga Berlin and Giga Texas, which we expect to start production later this year.”
— Elon Musk · Jan 27, 2021 · Tesla Q4 2020 earnings call transcript (Motley Fool), Jan 27 2021 — wording verified verbatim 2026-06-12 ↗
What actually happened
Neither factory started production in 2021. Giga Berlin — delayed by German permitting — delivered its first Model Ys on March 22, 2022, and Giga Texas held its 'Cyber Rodeo' opening with first deliveries on April 7, 2022, roughly a quarter past the promise. CNBC — Musk opens Gigafactory Berlin ↗
The Progression
Jan 27, 2021
The promise: “We're also building Giga Berlin and Giga Texas, which we expect to start production later this year.” · Tesla Q4 2020 earnings call transcript (Motley Fool), Jan 27 2021 — wording verified verbatim 2026-06-12 ↗
Apr 7, 2022
Delivered · Late — 0.3 years late. Neither factory started production in 2021. Giga Berlin — delayed by German permitting — delivered its first Model Ys on March 22, 2022, and Giga Texas held its 'Cyber Rodeo' opening with first deliveries on April 7, 2022, roughly a quarter past the promise. CNBC — Musk opens Gigafactory Berlin ↗
Today · Jul 16, 2026
Status: Delivered · Late · 0.3 years late. It happened — eventually.
On the January 2021 earnings call Musk said both Giga Berlin and Giga Texas would start production 'later this year'. German environmental permitting pushed Berlin's final approval to March 2022, and Austin's first Model Y deliveries came at the April 7, 2022 Cyber Rodeo — making 2021 a clean miss for both plants, though only by a few months.
Receipts
LAST CHECKED 2026-06-12- [TRANSCRIPT] Tesla Q4 2020 earnings call transcript (Motley Fool), Jan 27 2021 — wording verified verbatim 2026-06-12
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