In the last few days Tesla has made their Quicksilver paint option available in several new markets around the world. The new paint colour is currently only available from Giga Berlin and Giga Shanghai, but could Giga Texas and or Fremont be next?
Tesla first introduced Quicksilver, alongside another new paint colour, Midnight Cherry Red, late in 2022. At the time Elon Musk said these new colours were only available from Giga Berlin thanks to the factory’s advanced paint shop that was “specially built to apply many fine layers of paint, giving it complexity not otherwise possible.”
Despite this, Giga Shanghai started production of Model Y in Quicksilver earlier this year. With the expansion to Giga Shanghai, Tesla’s primary export hub, Quicksilver has been made available in a number of new countries this week, including the United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, Israel, Australia, Japan, and Singapore.
Ultra Red, Quicksilver & Stealth Grey now available in Singapore. pic.twitter.com/KHIzoGhNX6
— Tesla Singapore (@tesla_singapore) April 3, 2024
This expansion naturally brings up a new question – will Quicksilver come to North America? While we don’t have confirmation, recent sightings at Giga Texas are pointing to yes.
The first sighting came back in September 2023 when drone pilot Joe Tegtmeyer caught a glimpse of a Model Y frame sitting outside the factory finished in Quicksilver.
29 September 2023 Giga Texas! Beautiful sunrise, 400+ Model Y's in Testing lot, 3 Cybertrucks in outbound lot, 10 Model Y bodies in what looks to be 2 different silver colors! NE Casting replacing windows with louvers (for Furnace heat management) 1/2 pic.twitter.com/zXW4i449NT
— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) September 29, 2023
Then in December two fully built Quicksilver Model Ys were spotted parked outside near the main entrance to the factory.
Like these two in late December? pic.twitter.com/drUkVu2Smg
— Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 (@JoeTegtmeyer) January 5, 2024
Now another Quicksilver Model Y has been spotted by Tegtmeyer during a drone flyover at Giga Texas this week, this time parked in the outbound parking lot alongside a long row of Cybertrucks. (h/t: @greggertruck)
Given the recent sightings, the fact that Giga Texas was built at the same time as Giga Berlin, and its Paint Shop is newer than the one found in Giga Shanghai, it only makes sense that Tesla would next expand Quicksilver to Giga Texas.
Whether the Fremont factory’s Paint Shop could be upgraded to also produce Quicksilver remains a question we don’t have the answer to. However, if it can’t that could mean bad news for Canadians, as we can’t order the Model Y built at Giga Texas, only from the Fremont factory. Canada did receive the Model Y from Giga Shanghai for a brief period last year, but that ended when the slightly refreshed Model Y was introduced in China late in the year.