Tesla’s Texas-Made Model Y Body Structure: 2 Pieces Versus 171 in Model 3

Tesla announced record Q1 2022 earnings today and within its shareholder slide deck, the company detailed it is now producing single-piece front castings for its Model Y from its Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.

The company has long teased a single-piece front was coming, to join the single-piece rear casting in the Model Y.

According to Tesla, the Austin-made Model Y body structure now has two pieces of metal, thanks to its Giga Press machines. The result is fast-tracking the production process and now 1,600 fewer welds compared to the Model 3, which has 171 pieces in its front and rear body structure.

Tesla also announced it will also produce Model Y vehicles with 2170 battery cells in non-structural packs at Giga Texas later this year, along with 4680 structural packs. Giga Berlin will also eventually produce Model Y vehicles with 4680 structural packs.

With two new factories set to ramp up Model Y production, Tesla will likely continue to sell record numbers of the vehicle, which Musk has said in the past would become the best-selling car globally, of any kind.