Tesla is considering exporting Chinese-made electric cars to the United States, two people familiar with the matter said, which would reflect the automaker’s deepening cost advantage at its Shanghai plant and slowing demand from Chinese consumers, according to a Reuters report.
Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but Elon Musk replied to a Twitter post with a “mistake” but no details.
Tesla’s Shanghai mega-factory was upgraded earlier this year to produce 1.1 million electric cars a year, making it Tesla’s most productive factory. The Shanghai plant produces the Model 3 and Model Y, which are sold in China and exported to markets such as Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia.
So far Tesla has been building its cars for sale in North America at its factories in Fremont, California and Austin, Texas. The California plant, Tesla’s first, produces the Model S and Model 3 as well as the Model X and Model Y. The Texas plant, which opened earlier this year, produces the Model Y and will produce Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck.
