The chances of Tesla expanding and building an advanced manufacturing facility in Canada are seemingly increasing by the day. Over the last six months Tesla has met with Canadian officials on at least four different occasions.
It looks like the federal government and Tesla are possibly preparing to meet again, as soon as Friday, this time in California.
After meeting with General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford at the Detroit Auto Show this week, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne revealed today the he and his team will be travelling to California on Friday for more meetings with “another automaker.”
In a post to Twitter, Champagne said the meetings were to “bring more investment, create jobs, and build an economy that works for everyone.”
Wrapping up the day here at the @NAIASDetroit, following meetings with GM, Stellantis, and Ford.
On Friday we’re on our way to California to talk with another auto manufacturer to bring more investment, create jobs, and build an economy that works for everyone. pic.twitter.com/A4w1joIX2t— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@FP_Champagne) September 14, 2022
Champagne didn’t confirm which automaker he will be meeting with, but the chances of it being Tesla are extremely high as they are the biggest automaker with a presence in California.
Rivian and Lucid are other potential candidates, but both are fledgling automakers and have already announced plans to expand in Georgia and Saudi Arabia respectively.
Adding to the probability that it is Tesla, Champagne confirmed last week in Vancouver that he has already been in discussion with Tesla about a potential production facility in Canada.
There have also been strong hints from Elon Musk himself, who teased at the Annual Shareholder Meeting in August that Canada is a potential location for the next Gigafactory. Musk said he hopes to be able to announce the location of the next Gigafactory before the end of the year.
It has also been revealed that Tesla has been lobbying both the Ontario provincial government and federal government to build a manufacturing facility in Canada.
