Few companies are quite as interesting to report on as Tesla. Who else would release a set of booty shorts and loosely confirm the hopes of creating a new factory in Asia, in the same week?
I say loosely in the case of the latter because it was a tidbit of info dropped by Tesla CEO Elon Musk over Twitter. When quizzed on if a Tesla Gigafactory expansion in Asia outside of China was a likelihood, Musk replied in the affirmative — adding that it'd come after the firm finishes its Berlin plant and second plant in the US.
Yeah, but first we need to finish Giga Berlin and a second US Giga to serve eastern half of North America
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2020
Now, don't expect these things to all be built overnight. Apart from China's ongoing situation with Covid-19 (and, to be fair, America's), Musk still hasn't confirmed where America's second Gigafactory is going to be built — let alone started building it.
It's been tipped that places with established motoring links are the most likely locations for the new Gigafactory, elevating Japan and Korea to the top of the list of likely candidates.
Read more: Elon Musk congratulates Ford on the fully-electric Mustang Mach-E
The news comes as Tesla continues to expand the size of its Chinese Gigafactory, a temporary stop for Covid-19 kicking back into action in May. The factory is set to approximately double in size, with the hope of adding the Model Y to its production output.
An expansion in Asia could benefit Kiwi Tesla buyers. For the moment, cars it produces in China are only sold within China. But, Musk has confirmed hopes of exporting cars from China to other markets.
At the time, the quote was intended as a response to looming tariff and trade headaches Tesla faced off the back of American President Donald Trump. But, it could also mean a different distribution channel for Teslas bound for New Zealand. Local Tesla prices could potentially fall in the long run, due to a lower cost of shipping and taxes relative to right-hand drive models currently imported from America.