FACT CHECK: Is Germany Shutting Down Its Tesla Plant?

A viral post shared on Facebook claims Germany is purportedly shutting down its Tesla plant.

Verdict: False

The claim originally stems from a March 24 article published by readtime.com. Content detection scans using GPTZero and QuillBot indicate the article text has been generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

Fact Check:

Kerri Pouliot said she has “no intentions of ever selling [her Tesla cybertruck]” after it was allegedly vandalized, according to Fox News. Pouliot claims her vehicle was purportedly “keyed” while she was staying at a hotel with her husband, the outlet reported.

The Facebook post, which has received 18,000 likes as of writing, claims Germany is purportedly shutting down its Tesla plant.

“3 MINUTES AGO: GERMANY makes bold decision to shut down Tesla and the US auto industry – Elon Musk responds with a shocking message of only 7 words, revealing a hidden truth that has shocked the world. In a move that has stunned the global automotive industry, Germany has made a bold and unexpected decision to shut down Tesla’s operations within its borders, along with targeting the broader U.S. auto industry,” the post reads.

A March 24 article published by readtime.com repeats the claim.

The claim is false. Check Your Fact conducted a content detection scan using GPTZero and the results indicate the article text is 100% AI-generated. A second scan using QuillBot reveals 95% of the article text is likely to be AI-generated. (RELATED: Mugshot Shared Via Facebook Post Unrelated To Alleged Tesla Vandalism)

Likewise, Tesla does not appear to have issued a press release or a social media statement responding to the claim. An advanced search of Musk’s verified X account @elonmusk does not generate any reference to the claim, either.

Additionally, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. If Germany had actually announced it was shutting down its Tesla plant, multiple media outlets would’ve reported it, yet none have. In fact, the opposite is true. On March 28, Reuters debunked the claim.

Check Your Fact has contacted Tesla for comment.