AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)05/04 Report--

Tesla China will build a second factory in Shanghai, which will increase the annual capacity of 450000 cars, Reuters reported on May 3. It is understood that the news originated from a thank-you letter written by Tesla to the Shanghai government by Reuters. In the letter, Tesla thanked officials in Hong Kong for their support and revealed that it would further expand its factory in Shanghai, saying that the company would build a new factory on land near the same area, which would add 450000 vehicles to its annual capacity, including Model 3 and Model Y, making it "the largest car export hub in the world".

With regard to the news that Tesla will set up a second factory in Shanghai, some industry insiders said: there was relevant news earlier, and if Tesla made it clear in his communication with the Shanghai authorities this time, it may mean that the construction of the new factory is not far away. However, Tesla China has yet to respond to the news that Tesla has set up a second factory in Shanghai.

It is worth noting that as early as February 24 this year, Reuters reported that Tesla will set up a second factory in Shanghai, saying that according to two people familiar with the matter, Tesla plans to start building a new factory in Shanghai as early as March, more than doubling China's production capacity to meet the growing demand in China's automobile and export markets. At that time, Tesla insiders denied the news.

In fact, the news that Tesla will build a second factory in China was spread as early as the end of 2021. There is also a lot of news that the location of Tesla's second factory will be in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, Yibin City, Sichuan Province and other places. However, for such news, Tesla Global Vice President Tao Lin also posted on Weibo to refute the rumors: "Tesla is very honored to contribute to the development of China's new energy industry, and will continue to firmly increase investment in China." Recently, I have received a lot of media inquiries about the second factory, but I am afraid I cannot reply to them one by one. I would like to inform you that the current information on the network about the location of Tesla's second factory is not true. Thanks to all the friends who care about and support Tesla's development! "

Of course, there is no official response to whether Tesla will set up a second factory in Shanghai, but it is true that the Shanghai factory has increased its production capacity. Tesla released the EIA report on the first phase of Tesla super factory project (phase I)-parts production process improvement project (capacity adjustment) on Feb. 22, according to the environmental information disclosure platform of Shanghai enterprises and institutions. Tesla said in the report that in order to meet the export needs of enterprises, Tesla Shanghai plans to build the project in the existing factory building on the first phase of the site, and plans to increase the production capacity of spare parts by increasing the number of production workshops, increasing the number of workers, and increasing the operating rate of equipment.

According to relevant data, Tesla Shanghai Factory is Tesla's second overseas super factory, which mainly produces Model 3 and SUV Model Y cars. According to relevant data, the Tesla Shanghai factory delivered 484000 vehicles in 2021, an increase of 23.5% over the same period last year, accounting for 51.7% of Tesla's total global delivery. Of these, 321000 are sold domestically, while the remaining 163000 are mainly exported to Japan, Europe and other countries. In the Chinese market, there will be 169853 Model Y retail vehicles and 150890 Model 3 retail vehicles in 2021. According to official Tesla data, Tesla delivered 936000 vehicles worldwide in 2021, and the Shanghai factory accounted for more than half of Tesla's global sales.

It is not difficult to see that the Shanghai factory is Tesla's "pillar" in the overseas market, bearing the burden of domestic supply and export. In addition, from the sales announced by the Federation, Tesla has been at the forefront of the new energy sales list, which also proves Tesla's popularity in the Chinese market. Moreover, judging from the production capacity of Tesla's Shanghai factory, in just over two years, the Shanghai factory has become one of Tesla's main sales factories, and the importance of this factory is self-evident.

Tesla CEO Musk has also said many times that Tesla's main goal this year is to expand production capacity. Although Tesla's Berlin and Texas plants have been put into production, the two plants are still in new factories, and if they want to achieve a rapid increase in production capacity, the Shanghai factory may be the fastest choice. With regard to this year's annual delivery target, Tesla CEO Musk has said that Tesla's delivery volume will increase by 50 per cent this year. Based on Tesla's total sales of 936000 in 2021, Tesla needs to deliver 1.4 million new cars this year. It is understood that Tesla's Fremont plant in California has a capacity of 600000 vehicles, including 500000 vehicles of the Model 3Unix Y, while the Shanghai plant has a capacity of 450000 vehicles, both of which have recently been affected by epidemic factors. However, Tesla's Berlin Super Factory in Germany was opened on March 22, and the Tesla plant was officially put into production on April 7, US time, mainly producing Model Y models, with an annual production capacity of 500000 vehicles after full commissioning. According to such a rough calculation, Tesla may be able to achieve his annual target of 1.4 million vehicles as scheduled.

Welcome to subscribe to the WeChat public account "Automotive Industry Focus" to get the first-hand insider information on the automotive industry and talk about things in the automotive circle. Welcome to break the news! WeChat ID autoWechat