Update, August 19, 2026: Giga Shanghai later built Tesla’s 9 millionth vehicle worldwide on the same site at year-end 2025 (Tesery: 9 millionth global car at Shanghai) and, in January 2026, its 5 millionth local drive unit. Those are later counters. The Dec. 8 story is 4 million cars built in Shanghai, not 4 million sold worldwide that year.
On December 8, 2025 Tesla said Gigafactory Shanghai rolled out its 4 millionth vehicle, a Starlight Gold Model Y L. Xinhua, China Daily, and Global Times reported the company milestone the same day. CarNewsChina timed the 3-to-4-million step at 411 days (after 3 million on Oct. 24, 2024). Cumulative plant output is not the same as Tesla’s 2025 global deliveries, and it is not a claim that Shanghai had a record sales year.
Key facts
- Where / when: Giga Shanghai (Lingang), Dec. 8, 2025.
- What rolled off: The plant’s 4 millionth car — a Starlight Gold Model Y L, the six-seat China SKU Tesery covered when November retail was about 13,000 units.
- Pace Tesla/China press used: ~14 months from 3 million to 4 million. Groundbreaking was January 7, 2019; 1 million took more than 30 months.
- What this is not: Four million cars sold in 2025, or a U.S. Model Y L launch.
Plant total vs a sales year
Shanghai builds Model 3 and Model Y (including Y L) for China and export. A lifetime 4 millionth unit can land in a year when China shipments are not up. CarNewsChina noted a slight production slowdown around the same week. Do not paste this photo onto Tesla’s global delivery print.
FAQ
Is this Tesla’s 4 millionth car ever?
No. It is the 4 millionth Shanghai-built vehicle. Tesla’s worldwide lifetime total was already higher; the plant later hosted the company’s 9 millionth global car.
Did the U.S. get the Model Y L?
Not as a volume 2025 U.S. SKU. The gold six-seater is the China long-wheelbase car.
Does 4 million mean the factory is at peak?
It means the odometer on the plant hit 4 million. Rate and mix still move with demand and changeovers.
For owners of China-built 3/Y: this is a factory counter, not a software or warranty change.
Featured photo: aerial view of Gigafactory Shanghai (file photo of the plant, not the Dec. 8 Model Y L still). Image via Wikimedia Commons.
Related: Model Y L November sales in China · 9 millionth Tesla globally, built in Shanghai · 5 millionth Shanghai drive unit
