Elon Musk Plans New Tesla Gigafactory in Asia, And Not in China

Tesla is adding factories faster than it is adding new vehicles these days, and now Elon Musk hints at a possible new factory in in Asia, but not in China.

At the moment, Tesla is working toward building a new factory near Berlin and a new factory in Austin.

On top of these massive projects, Tesla is also expanding its Gigafactory Shanghai and adding more production capacity in Gigafactory Nevada and Fremont factory.

The new production capacity is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious plan to soon be able to deliver 1 million electric vehicles per year.

But the automaker doesn’t plan to stop there and it is expected to build several more factories as part of its mission to accelerate the advent of electric transport and renewable energy.

Last weekend, Musk hinted at where the next factory could end up.

When asked if Tesla plans to “expand mega factories in Asia outside China” on Twitter, the CEO answered:

However, ranking as the world's best-selling plug-in and battery electric passenger car manufacturer, Tesla looks to increase production capacities and set up more such factories around the world. This is especially crucial since Tesla's global sales have increased significantly in recent years, almost by more than 50% in a year.

While Musk confirmed that it’s in Tesla’s plans, he didn’t offer any specifics beyond “Asia,” but people were quick to send suggestions like Japan and Korea, who both have strong existing automotive industries.

The CEO also didn’t offer a timeline beyond the completion of the current two factories under development, but that might happen quickly based on Tesla’s own timelines for the two factories, which are supposed to start production by the end of next year.

In 2020, the company surpassed the 1 million mark of electric cars produced, and its Model 3 electric four-door sedan ranks as the world's all-time best-selling plug-in electric car, with more than 500,000 delivered.

Experts have predicted that Japan and Korea, being frontrunners in the automobile business, stand a chance for being likely grounds for new Tesla Giga factories in Asia, especially since it might potentially boost the company's ties to important battery manufacturers and suppliers based in both countries.

However, some Southeast Asian markets could offer some good locations for Tesla. What do you think?