Tesla plans to expand its German factory have come up against a roadblock after local citizens voted against a motion to fell trees and make way for the larger site, the mayor of Gruenheide told Reuters.

The news agency said the non binding vote was a further obstacle in the way of plans to double the site's capacity to 100 gigawatt hours of battery production and 1m cars per year.

Current capacity is around 500,000 cars a year but its production ramp up has slowed, Reuters said.

The automaker produced 6,000 cars in a week for the first time in January, after reaching 5,000 cars per week last March.

Citizens in Gruenheide voted against the motion to clear enough forest for the company to build extra logistics spaces like a train station and warehouses, leaving it to local authorities to decide how to proceed, Reuters said.