A facility near Berlin makes all kinds of sense. The EU has a population of 513 million and a strong commitment to electric vehicles. Scandinavia, the middle east and non-EU eastern European countries are close by. The Euro is not as expensive as the US dollar so products made in the EU will be significantly cheaper than American built cars. Production outside the US is not as vulnerable to the vagaries of current US trade policy and the generally destabilizing action of the US administration with respect to international trade.
An R&D facility will allow Tesla to tap into the pool of experienced German automotive designers and engineers. A European presence should result in products better adapted to the needs of customers in the EU. Perhaps a smaller, less expensive Tesla will come from a European design group.
