Tesla aims to start factory construction in Mexico in March

Samuel García spoke to the Mexican newspaper Milenio, referring to a conversation he had with the Tesla factory management. Since the end of October, the US electric car manufacturer has had all the necessary authorisations to start building its factory in Mexico. So far, however, nothing has happened on site. Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated in autumn that his company was in no particular hurry: “We’re laying the groundwork to start construction and do all the long-term elements, but I think we want to get a sense of what the global economy is like before we work full steam ahead on the factory in Mexico,” Musk said. In view of these concerns, he could not yet give a timetable for the factory in Mexico.

The US electric car manufacturer announced the factory in the Mexican state of Nuevo León at the beginning of March 2023. At the time, there was talk of investments totalling five billion dollars and, shortly afterwards, a production capacity of one million electric cars per year. The first preparatory work was subsequently observed on the site.

Tesla received the first environmental permits for the plant at the end of September 2023. Tesla must comply with certain conditions on this basis. These include a 26-month deadline to prepare the site and start building the factory. At the beginning of September, it was reported, with reference to Chinese suppliers, that Tesla’s new factory in Mexico could start production in 2026 or 2027.

Tesla wants to build “Next Generation Vehicles” in Mexico, which are based on a new platform. According to the key data presented at the Investors Day, the production costs for these vehicles are to be reduced by 50 per cent. In addition, the space required in the plant is to be reduced by 40 per cent.

milenio.com (in Spanish)