Automotive News reported earlier today that Tesla CEO Elon Musk made comments related to a future presence in Russia. More specifically, the vocal CEO actually said that he thinks Tesla is “close to” establishing a presence in Russia, the largest country in the world.
According to the report, Musk also said Tesla is researching the possibility of opening factories in Russia. While the wording points to “factories” plural, there is no direct quote from Musk related to multiple factories in Russia, so it seems he meant a single factory in the country, as well as factories in other areas across the globe.
Automotive News did include a few direct quotes from the CEO. The first mentions a presence in Russia, and “factories” in other parts of the world, so perhaps that’s what was meant. It reads as follows:
“I think we are close to establishing a Tesla presence in Russia, and I think that would be great. Over time, we will look to have factories in other parts of the world, potentially Russia at some point.”
Based on the information in the article, Musk was speaking at a conference event in Russia via a video link. He talked about Tesla’s production facilities in the US and China, and mentioned that Tesla is considering locations for factories in other areas. Tesla has plans to open a factory in Germany later in 2021, as well as a factory in Texas.
Reportedly, Musk – who is also the CEO of SpaceX and the owner of several other companies – said there needs to be more talk between Washington and Moscow. He shared via Automotive News:
“There’s a lot of talent and energy in Russia. Hopefully that energy continues into the future, and I would just like to strongly encourage people to strive to make the future better than the past and to be optimistic about the future.”
The article also points out that Musk invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to chat with him on the Clubhouse app a few months ago. Not long after that, Musk agreed to speak at the conference mentioned above.
