The two-week retooling project is part of a $100 million expansion plan that involves 25 additional robots, helping to boost overall production by 25 percent. Aside from the Model X, the company also expects to boost its Model S weekly production by nearly 50 percent — to 1,000 units weekly — by the end of the year.
“This represents the single biggest investment in the plant since we really started operations and enables us for higher volumes,” spokesman Simon Sproule told Bloomberg.
Notably, the extra robots will be configured to build the Model X on the same line as the Model S.
The company currently assembles the battery packs for the Model S at its California factory, however some of the processes will eventually be handled at a much bigger ‘Gigafactory’ plant dedicated to battery production.
The latest announcement suggests Tesla is on track to begin shipping its Model X to customers early next year. The company is also expected to reveal its mass-market Model III, though availability for the car will likely have to wait until battery prices continue to slide into 2016 or later.
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