Tesla confirms Texas as first production site for compact model

With the statement that the 25,000-dollar model is to be built in Texas first, the Tesla CEO confirmed corresponding information that had already been leaked in September as part of a new biography on Musk. The current statement comes from an interview with US car industry veteran Sandy Munro, which was broadcast on his YouTube channel “Munro Live”.

Musk justifies the preference for Texas over Mexico by stating that the construction of the new Giga Mexico would take too long to start production of the compact electric vehicle there. Tesla received approval for the construction of the plant at the end of October. However, there are rumours, citing suppliers, that Tesla may not start production until 2026 or 2027.

The development of the model is already well advanced, Musk reports in the interview. He also hints that the production system for the compact car will be very innovative. It represents a major step forward in the technology available, he said.

In addition to Texas and Nuevo León, the Tesla boss also explicitly mentions Berlin as a future production location for the compact model in the interview. According to observers, he is said to have already done so at the beginning of November during another visit to the plant in Grünheide. Musk did not comment on Shanghai. However, there are already reports from China that Tesla wants to further expand its plant there for the production of the compact model.

The planned compact model is based on Tesla’s new platform and is to be sold for around 25,000 dollars. That is currently the equivalent of just under 23,300 euros. According to the Musk biography mentioned above, a Robotaxi is also to be launched on the same platform a little later, which will use the same assembly lines.

teslarati.com, insideevs.com, cnevpost.com, carnewschina.com (both China)