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We took a tour of the factory where Tesla is building its new Model 3 (TSLA)

The large robots building Tesla's Model S, Model 3, and Model X are named after characters from Marvel's X-Men.

The Tesla Factory in Fremont, California.

With the launch of the Model 3, Tesla is on the precipice of a move from ambitious niche upstart to a mass market carmaker.

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Over the past decade, Tesla has become a global leader in electric vehicles. At the same time, its Model S sedan and Model X SUV have become the performance benchmarks for competitors looking to enter their respective segments.

Both cars are made at its factory in Fremont, California. As you might expect from an Elon Musk-run company, Tesla's factory is one of the most advanced automotive production facility in the world. It's equipped with more than a hundred robots.

Ahead of the launch of its Model X SUV in late 2015, Tesla gave Business Insider a peek inside its modern factory.

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With the new mass production Model 3 now in the fold, the Tesla is reportedly making modifications to the facility to accommodate the vehicle. However, production of the Model S and X remain as is.

With the unveiling of the production Model 3 just around the corner, here's a look inside the Tesla Factory:

The Tesla Factory is situated on 370 acres of land in Fremont, California.

The Tesla Factory spent the first 20 years of its life as a General Motors assembly plant until it was shut down in 1982. In 1984, the plant reopened as NUMMI or New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.

NUMMI was a joint venture between GM And Toyota that assembled vehicles for both automakers. It also allowed GM to study Toyota's legendary "lean manufacturing" methods.

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The NUMMI joint venture ended 2009 which allowed Tesla to swoop in and purchase the plant in 2010.

Believe it or not, this is the last remaining major car factory in the state of California.

As we pulled up to the Tesla Factory, we were greeted by a row of the company's Model S electric sedans having their batteries topped off at SuperCharger stations.

Nearby, brand new Model S cars sit outside the Customer Delivery center.

Eventually, we make our way inside the massive production facility. It occupies 5.3 million sq. ft. of manufacturing space.

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How do people get around the massive factory floor? Bicycles!

Just inside the factory entrance is a row of Tesla's prototypes.

They range from this wood composite mockup of the Tesla Roadster used for wind tunnel testing to...

... the first mockups of the Model S.

Here's "Red Alpha." It was the first drivable Model S prototype. Tesla says they spent roughly $2.2 million on the prototype.

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Ever wonder what a Tesla Model S looks like without its body? Well here it is.

Here's the front motor.

Entering the production portion of the factory, the immediate impression any visitor gets is that everything is very clean and neatly organized.

As the tour continued we made our way to Tesla's massive Schuler press. It's seven stories tall and is responsible for stamping out Tesla's aluminum body panels.

Tesla claims the press is the largest machine of its kind in North America.

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There are racks upon racks of panels awaiting assembly.

The Tesla Factory was comprised of two main production lines. At the time, Line One was dedicated to the Model S, while Line Two is responsible for the Model X.

This Model S is beginning to take shape.

While this one just went through a quality control inspection of its welds.

These cars are fresh out of the paint shop.

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Battery packs!

These robots are putting together Tesla's electric powertrain.

A sea of electric motors.

These are the smaller of the two motors Tesla offers.

This one is headed for a Model X.

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I spy a Model X under wraps.

Here, a robot called Mystique is picking up a Model S. The factory's large robots are named after characters from Marvel's X-Men.

Two of the coolest robots in the factory work in tandem with each other. They are called Wolverine and Iceman.

Here's how they work. As this Model S approaches the robots...

Wolverine activates.

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It lifts the car up and rotates it 180 degrees.

At which point Iceman activates and receives the car from Wolverine.

Iceman then turns the car another 180 degrees — allowing it to continue down the production line.

At the time of our visit, the Tesla production line deployed more than 150 robots.

However, not all of the of a Tesla is made by robots. The plant actually employs a few thousand people.

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Many parts of the car, such as the interior trim, must be installed by hand.

This Model S is awaiting its interior.

There's nowhere to sit!

And Voila! A complete Model S.

However, the work is not done for the factory. The completed cars have to be sent to the dynamometer to gauge power output and then be prepped for delivery.

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In 2016, Tesla produced roughly 80,000 cars.

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