(c)iStock/Sjoerd van der Wal

Tesla has announced it will have a European presence after acquiring German firm Grohmann Engineering.

The company has increased its output target to half a million cars per year by 2018 and as such, sought out engineering talent in automated manufacturing systems.

After the acquisition, automated manufacturing company Grohmann Engineering will become Tesla Grohmann Automation.

The business will also serve as the first base for Tesla’s Advanced Automation Germany headquarters, with other locations to be announced in future. Tesla said it hopes to fill 1,000 engineering and skilled technician roles at the factory over the next two years.

“Accelerating a sustainable energy future is only possible with high-volume factories. They allow us to manufacture high-quality products with economies of scale, making them more affordable and accessible to the world,” Tesla wrote in a blog.

The deal will see CEO Klaus Grohmann and his team join Tesla’s workforce, and several ‘critical elements’ of Tesla’s automated manufacturing systems will be designed and produced in Germany.

400%

Tesla already has engineering facilities in California and Michigan, with plans for expansion - including, The Telegraph reports, the UK. It has increased the production rate of its Fremont factory by 400% in four years, showing the demand for connected cars. Tesla said it hopes its new acquisition will increase those numbers further and hopes to close the deal early next year.

In addition to its German expansion, Tesla’s Model X has recently been awarded the Golden Steering Wheel award by Auto Bild, a German-based car magazine.

Candidates for this award are nominated by hundreds of thousands across Europe for excellence across six categories, after which judges spend three days judging the winner.  

Tesla ramped up production of the Model X in early 2016 and has introduced many updates since, mainly via over-the-air software updates, leading to a 92% reduction in reliability concerns over the last year.

Updates include a 25% improvement in door opening and closing speed, an 8x improvement in key fob battery life and cabin overheat protection.