Tesla’s China Dream Threatened by Standoff Over Shanghai Factory
A Tesla Model S at one of the company's electric charging stations near a shopping mall in Beijing.
Photographer: Qilai ShenTesla Inc., the biggest-selling electric carmaker in the U.S., is in danger of being relegated to an expensive niche in China because Elon Musk can't clinch a deal to open a factory there.
More than seven months after Tesla said it was working with Shanghai's government to explore assembling cars, an agreement hasn't been finalized because the two sides disagree on the ownership structure for a proposed factory, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation. China's central government says the plant must be a joint venture with local partners, while Tesla wants to own the factory completely, the people said, asking not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Currently, all foreign automakers must partner with Chinese companies in order to manufacture locally.
Tesla's sluggishness in starting local manufacturing means it's fumbling a chance to capitalize on China's hard sell for new-energy vehicles, including EVs, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles. President Xi Jinping's administration wants to scrub notorious air pollution and reduce dependence on imported oil, and it's doling out billions of dollars in subsidies to entice consumers away from gas guzzlers.