Tesla Roadster - Production

Production

Tesla cumulative production of the Roadster reached 1,000 cars in January 2010. The Roadster is an American car with a Vehicle Identification Number common to all cars considered American manufactured, but it has parts from around the world. The body panels come from French supplier Sotira. These are sent from France to Hethel, U.K., where Tesla contracts with Lotus to build the Roadster's unique chassis. The Roadster shares roughly 6 percent of its components with the Lotus Elise; shared components include the windshield, air bags, some tires, some dashboard parts, and suspension components. The Roadster's single-speed gearbox is made in Detroit to Tesla's specifications by Auburn Hills, Michigan-based supplier BorgWarner. Brakes and airbags are made by Siemens in Germany, and some crash testing was conducted at Siemens as well.

For Roadsters bound for customers in North America, the chassis is then sent to Menlo Park, California, for final assembly. For Roadsters bound for customers in Europe or elsewhere outside of North America, the chassis is sent to a facility near Hethel, U.K., for final assembly. At these final assembly locations, Tesla employees install the entire powertrain, which consists of the battery pack, power electronics module, gearbox and motor. Tesla also performs rigorous "pre-delivery inspection" on every car before customers take ownership.

Tesla ordered 2,500 gliders from Lotus, which ended supplies in December 2011 when their contract expired. Tesla ended production of the Roadster in January 2012.