In order to connect its biggest plant to its biggest market in North America, Tesla has thought of exporting electric vehicles built in China to the US and Canada, as reported by Reuters.
According to the individuals, who wished to remain anonymous because the discussion was private, Tesla has been examining whether electric cars produced in Shanghai’s Gigafactory could be offered for sale in North America as early as next year.
According to them, Tesla has taken into account whether parts produced by its Chinese suppliers would be consistent with laws in the US and Canada while making its review.
The Shanghai facility has been working on a preliminary plan for a small-batch test run of vehicle manufacturing in the first quarter of 2023 that would be in compliance with North American norms for prospective export.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, simply wrote “False” on Twitter on Friday without further explanation. When contacted by Reuters, Tesla’s Austin, Texas-based representatives declined to comment or elaborate on Musk’s statement. A screenshot of Musk’s denial was provided in response by a Tesla representative in China.
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A memo outlining some of the procedures being taken by the Shanghai factory to test its preparedness by early 2023 and the evaluation of possible shipments to North America from Shanghai had both been developed as recently as the previous two weeks.
Tesla wouldn’t be the first American carmaker to import vehicles from China. General Motors imported the Buick Envision SUV and attempted to get a waiver from the 25 per cent US tariffs that the Trump administration had put in place.
(with inputs from agencies)