Tesla to wait for mass customers before building Chinese factory
Updated: 2016-05-20 11:25
By Dai Tian in Leipzig, Germany(chinadaily.com.cn)
|
|||||||||
The Tesla X is presented at the Geneva International Motor Show during the second press day in Geneva,switzerland, March 2 2016. [Photo/IC] |
Despite an uptick in Tesla 3 preorders here, making China the biggest market outside the US, the electric car titan still needs a convincing scale before it decides to add a production site, said Tesla co-founder JB Straubel.
Adding a factory only makes sense after the market has reached a "critical mass", said Straubel, Tesla's Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, on Thursday, damping speculation that a new site in China is imminent.
Straubel spoke to China Daily while attending the International Transport Forum (ITF) 2016 summit in Leipzig, Germany.
Jon McNeill, Tesla's president of global sales, raised speculation about a site in China after he talked about China as a potential candidate for a factory to satisfy Model 3 demand in a recent interview.
The first mass-market car Tesla launched on April 1 has received the second-most preorders from China, according to Ren Yuxiang, Tesla's head for Asia Pacific, who didn't disclose the specific figures.
The country was Tesla's second largest market last year despite a slump in revenue.
The ITF at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has 57 member countries including China and organizes the annual summit of transport ministers.
This year's summit, under the theme of green and inclusive transport, has attracted over 1,000 policymakers as well as industry professionals from 71 countries.
- Russia to build first cruise liner in 60 years
- LinkedIn, Airbnb match refugees with jobs, disaster survivors with rooms
- Duterte 'willing to improve ties' with Beijing
- Canadian PM to introduce transgender rights bill
- Hillary Clinton says her husband not to serve in her cabinet
- New York cake show designs fool your eyes
- China Daily, celebrating 35 years
- Six things you may not know about Grain Buds
- China Beijing International High-tech Expo
- Highlights at Google I/O developers conference
- Nation celebrates International Museum Day
- Body brushwork creates vivid animals
- Can you still recognize these cities?
- A private museum owner's devotion to cultural protection
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Anti-graft campaign targets poverty relief |
Cherry blossom signal arrival of spring |
In pictures: Destroying fake and shoddy products |
China's southernmost city to plant 500,000 trees |
Cavers make rare finds in Guangxi expedition |
Cutting hair for Longtaitou Festival |
Today's Top News
Liang avoids jail in shooting death
China's finance minister addresses ratings downgrade
Duke alumni visit Chinese Embassy
Marriott unlikely to top Anbang offer for Starwood: Observers
Chinese biopharma debuts on Nasdaq
What ends Jeb Bush's White House hopes
Investigation for Nicolas's campaign
Will US-ASEAN meeting be good for region?
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |