Tesla in China: Musk Confirms Foundation of First Plant Outside of US

The Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Inc, Elon Musk, on Monday said that the electric carmaker is all set to lay the foundation of a first plant (Gigafactory) outside of the US – in China.

The Gigafactory is expected to produce 500, 000 electric vehicles per year, The Economic Times reported.

“Looking forward to breaking ground on the @Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory today!” tweetedMr. Musk.

“Aiming to finish initial construction this summer, start Model 3 production end of the year and reach high volume production next year,” he said, adding that “Shanghai Giga production of Model 3/Y will serve greater China region.”

Pushing hard to set his foot in China, Mr. Musk said he had formally met with Chinese officials and plans to invest long-term in the country.

The CEO had earlier said the country’s progress in advanced infrastructure is “more than 100 times faster than the US.”

Vehicle production at ‘Gigafactory 3” would start two years after its construction begins, according to Teslarati.

“Such an aggressive timeline is classic Elon Musk, especially considering that components of Gigafactory 3, such as the advanced manufacturing robots and machinery that would be used to build the vehicles, would likely be coming from abroad,” thereport said.

Teslarati is a multi-platform company with a focus on everything that Mr. Musk has.