Tesla CEO Elon Musk has allegedly considered exporting electric vehicles made in China to the US and Canada to connect its largest factory to its largest market in North America.
The people, who requested to remain unnamed since the conversation was private, said that Tesla has been looking at the possibility of selling electric vehicles made at Shanghai’s Gigafactory in North America as early as next year.
China-Made Tesla Electric Cars
They claim that when conducting its evaluation, Tesla considered whether components made by its Chinese suppliers would comply with legal requirements in the US and Canada.
For a small-batch test run of vehicle production in the first quarter of 2023 that would be compliant with North American standards for potential export, the Shanghai factory has been working on a preliminary plan.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk just said “False” on Twitter on Friday without providing any additional context. Tesla’s Austin, Texas-based representatives declined to comment or further explain Elon Musk’s assertion. A Tesla spokesperson in China responded by providing a screenshot of Elon Musk’s denial.
The appraisal of potential exports from Shanghai to North America and a document explaining some of the steps the Shanghai facility is taking to test its readiness by early 2023 were both created within the past two weeks.
Tesla wouldn’t be the first American auto manufacturer to bring in Chinese-made cars. The Buick Envision SUV was imported by General Motors, who also made an effort to obtain a waiver from the 25% US tariffs that the Trump administration had imposed.
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The news comes after Tesla said on Sunday that it will support Chinese authorities in their investigation into an incident involving one of its Model Y vehicles. The driver lost control of the car, causing two fatalities and three injuries.
A viral video shows a high-speed car crash into other cars and a bicycle on November 5 in the southern province of Guangdong, two people were killed: a motorcycle and a high school student.
The incident was one of the top trending topics on the Weibo social media network on Sunday, and China is Tesla’s second-largest market.
Traffic police and an unknown relative of the driver said that the 55-year-old experienced problems with the brake pedal as he prepared to pull over in front of his family’s business, but the reason for the event in Chaozhou city has not been determined.
Tesla said that videos showed the car’s brake lights not being on while it was moving at a high rate of speed and that its data revealed problems such as a lack of action to apply the brakes at any point throughout the ride.