Tesla Confirms Optimus Production Lines Are Being Installed; 'V3' Unveil Eyed for Q1

Update: We have published a new, in-depth article with more details from the full Q3 2025 earnings call transcript, including specific production targets and V3 prototype timelines.

Read the full follow-up story: Tesla Targets 1 Million Unit Optimus Production Line, V3 Prototype Set for Q1

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Tesla has provided its most concrete signal yet that its Optimus humanoid robot is transitioning from a research project to a product slated for manufacturing.

In its Q3 2025 Quarterly Update Deck released today, the company quietly included a significant sentence:

First generation production lines for Optimus are being installed in anticipation of volume production.

While other future products like the Cybercab, Tesla Semi, and Megapack 3 were explicitly "on schedule for volume production starting in 2026," Optimus was listed separately. The statement confirms that Tesla is now physically building out manufacturing capacity for the robot, a critical step that moves beyond simple prototyping.

'It Won't Even Seem Like a Robot'

CEO Elon Musk added verbal color to the update during the subsequent earnings call. According to reports from the call, Musk set high expectations for the next iteration of the humanoid, dubbed Optimus V3.

"Looking forward to unveiling Optimus v3, probably in Q1," Musk reportedly stated. "It’s going to be quite remarkable. It won’t even seem like a robot. It would seem like a person in a robot suit. It would seem so real you’ll need to poke it to tell it’s a robot."

This claim, characteristically ambitious, suggests the V3 unveiling in early 2026 will be a major event aimed at demonstrating a significant leap in the robot's capabilities and realism.

Context for Production Plans

This official confirmation that production lines are being installed lends significant new weight to recent supply chain rumors.

Just last week, Humanoids Daily reported on speculation that Tesla had placed a massive, unconfirmed $685 million order for actuators with Chinese supplier Sanhua Intelligent Controls. That rumored order was estimated to be large enough for approximately 180,000 Optimus units, with deliveries potentially starting in Q1 2026.

While neither company has confirmed that specific deal, Tesla's official Q3 statement that it is already installing production lines makes large-scale component sourcing a necessary and logical next step.

The key details missing from today's update remain a firm date for the start of "volume production" and any indication of what initial scale Tesla is targeting. For now, the industry has its most solid confirmation yet that Tesla is investing in the tooling for its humanoid ambitions, with all eyes on a V3 reveal in early 2026.