Tesla plans to expand production at factory near Berlin

US electric carmaker Tesla wants to expand production levels at its European plant near Berlin, the company said on Friday.
The next stage of expansion is currently being prepared at the Tesla site in Grünheide in Brandenburg state. For this purpose, 70 hectares of pine forest would be cleared from Friday, Tesla officials confirmed.
The permit for clearing land had already been obtained, while Tesla said the firm is also preparing an application for the expansion.
The remarks confirmed earlier local media reports.
According to Tesla, the carmaker currently employs more than 7,000 people at the German facility and aims to up that to 12,000 and even top that number after the planned expansion.
Tesla spoke of additional production capacity in the northern part of the site.
Production at the Grünheide plant officially started in March. The company currently produces around 2,000 cars a week at its only factory in Europe.
Tesla aims to produce 500,000 electric cars per year at the site.
In September, it emerged that Tesla has been running the plant without a functioning fire alarm system, but has since installed a provisional fix that has been approved by local authorities.