Since March 2022, Tesla’s German plant has been producing about 5,000 Model Y sport utility vehicles each week — a pace that is roughly half of its current capacity, which is still ramping up. The company said it would like to add capacity to build other models at the plant, but did not specify which ones. It is also seeking to double its production of battery cells, up to a storage capacity of 100 gigawatt hours per year, the expansion documents show.

The number of employees would rise to 22,500, up from 10,000 now, the company told residents at a town hall-style event near the plant on Tuesday. Dozens of jobs are advertised on the company’s website, the majority of them in manufacturing, indicating the company still has openings in the current plant.

Dirk Schulze, the regional head of the IG Metall labor union, which counts 2.3 million workers nationwide among its ranks, welcomed the announcement of more jobs in the economically weak region. But he called for better working conditions for those on the job.

“Despite high levels of sick leave, staff are being cut on a significant scale,” Mr. Schulze said. “But production targets are not being adjusted downward, so pressure on the remaining colleagues is increasing.”

IG Metall has been frustrated at its inability to attract enough workers to produce a collective-bargaining agreement for employees at the plant. Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, has been blunt about his opposition to unions.