Tesla is going to build an assembly factory in Mexico City, according to a representative of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The new rumored factory is apparently on top of the rumored factory in Nuevo León, Mexico.
Last year, we reported on Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk confirming that Tesla is considering sites for a new factory in Canada, Mexico, and the United States when discussing Tesla’s next plant in North America.
In October, rumors of a Tesla factory in Mexico ramped up as Musk visited the state and met with the governor. Local media reported that Tesla was particularly interested in a location in Santa Catarina, a municipality just outside of Monterrey in Nuevo León.
Following the visit, the government confirmed discussions of a possible investment in the state.
In December, a deal to bring a Tesla factory to Mexico was reportedly achieved with an announcement expected within the month. By the end of the month, government officials claimed that an announcement from Tesla was imminent, but a month later, we haven’t heard back.
Now a different government official working directly with President López Obrador claims that Tesla is going to build a different factory next to Mexico City.
Mexican presidential spokesperson Jesus Ramirez said that Tesla is looking to invest in the new business hub project promoted by the president just 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA).
Ramirez told a local paper:
Tesla will invest there … in an assembly plant, to export directly by air.
Top comment by Billy Gomes
I thought maybe shipping with Electric planes? However its about 725 miles by air from AIFA to Austin airport, so there would need to be many charging spots in between as the largest electric cargo planes have 200 miles of range. Still much cheaper to ship via Semi, although I wish we saw more train shipping.
The Mexican government confirmed that Tesla visited the site, and while Ramirez seemed to say that it was a done deal, we heard the same about the Nuevo León project before.
Electrek’s Take
While this comes from the top and appears to be a done deal, I’d still take it with a grain of salt since we have been burned by Mexican officials before.
It’s also surprising that they would mention an “assembly plant” and shipping by air.
That hasn’t been Tesla’s way of operating in the past, but I’m keeping an open mind. We will keep an eye out for the potential project.
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