Tesla’s robotics team arrived in Ningbo on September 16 and began the new round of factory inspections on September 17, according to supply-chain sources cited by the publication. The audits are focused on production consistency and supplier exclusivity, equipment commissioning and transferring manufacturing capabilities from Tesla’s U.S. operations into its Chinese supply chain.
The report says Tesla has already issued orders to suppliers as part of the production ramp. Separately, Chinese financial outlets reported on September 17 that suppliers had recently received orders corresponding to approximately 5,000 Optimus robots, following earlier trial-production orders measured in the hundreds. The 5,000-unit figure comes from unnamed supply-chain sources and has not been confirmed by Tesla.
The latest audits are reportedly taking place across suppliers in Ningbo, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xiamen. Earlier supply-chain reporting said Tesla was asking suppliers to prepare for higher-volume production while validating manufacturing processes and component consistency.
21st Century Business Herald also reports that Tesla’s current plan calls for approximately 50,000 Optimus units to come off production lines during 2026, primarily for deployment across Tesla factories globally. That figure is a reported production plan rather than confirmed output or formal company guidance in the September 17 report.
Tesla has not announced consumer availability for Optimus, and the company has not publicly confirmed the reported 5,000-unit supplier order.
