Tesla's new factory in Netherlands has been set-up to help shorten the delivery time to European customers. The Tilburg plant will build about 450 cars a week, but will have a total capacity of about 1,000 units a week. The factory features a 750-metre indoor test track which is the first of its kind in Europe. Also, there is a section pockmarked with 6000 'dots' that simulate the bumps on the road. Every car is driven on the track to check handling and detect squeaks and rattles.
The Dutch plant is the first Tesla facility outside its home market. Tesla will assemble the Model S sedans and future Model X crossovers in Tilburg, using shipped parts from the company’s main factory in Fremont, California. The Model S will challenge the BMW 5-series and Mercedes Benz E-class and will be available across 69 dealerships in Europe. Tesla has already sold more than 80,000 examples of the Model S across the world.
Tesla will release its Model X crossover alongside the Model 3 which is set to rival the likes of the BMW 3-series and Mercedes C-class in the US and Europe three years from now. The company is also encouraging restaurants, hotels and shopping centres to install what it calls 'destination chargers' for Tesla vehicles in an attempt to improve range by allowing drivers to recharge the car's batteries.