In the recent Q2 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that the company may end up changing some of the Model Y internals in order to make the manufacturing process easier. The changes would mostly take place at the upcoming Berlin Factory, where European Model Y cars will be produced. The changes will not affect the appearance of the car, just the ease of manufacturing. Ease of manufacturing is a priority for Tesla, especially after the “production hell” they went through when they were ramping up Model 3 Production. Although many of the changes will be implemented in the Berlin Factory, there will also be changes to the Fremont factory. For example, the world’s biggest casting press is being assembled at the Fremont factory and will be used for the Model Y rear body casting.
Tesla’s mission from the beginning was to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transportation, and with that goal comes the opportunity to do things that benefit the planet and their mission, but not necessarily Tesla itself. Elon Musk recently tweeted that the company would be open to supplying other car manufacturers with powertrains, batteries, and software. Although this may seem like a good offer for companies like Audi, (who recently admitted to being at least two years behind Tesla in terms of EV technology) it would ultimately not make sense for a large company to outsource such key components of a car, especially when they could just put the money into their own research and development.