According to government documents and the Wall Street Journal, Tesla China Design Center will be located in Beijing, the capital of China.
In 2020, Tesla said it would build a design center in China to build an "international electric car." Tesla began hiring for the site later in 2020, encouraging anyone with a passion for cars or design to apply for the job.
There is currently relatively little detail about the design center online, and Tesla has not confirmed that the new building will be located in any particular location. However, the Wall Street Journal said in a new report on Thursday that government documents showed that Tesla's design center would be located in Beijing.
In fact, as early as January 31, Beijing released a list of key projects in 2022, but it has not been paid attention until now. In addition to Tesla's design center, the list shows that Xiaomi will also build a new electric vehicle factory in Beijing with an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles.
List of key tasks in the 2022 Beijing Municipal Government Work Report
Tesla has been tight-lipped about the design studio and its possible outcomes. While the automaker has discussed plans to launch a $25,000 car and a "China-inspired" mass-market sedan from the plant, it has yet to confirm which approach Tesla plans to use for the initial design. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on the fourth quarter of 2021 earnings call that as a company, Tesla will not release any new automotive products this year.
China has been one of Tesla's key markets for the past few years. Tesla has maintained a strong sales record after it started production at the Shanghai Gigafactory in early 2020, even using the Chinese factory as an export hub to meet the desire for European demand. Late last year, the company's environmental impact assessment documents showed that Tesla was planning to significantly increase Model Y production at the plant. The Shanghai Gigafactory accounts for nearly 52% of Tesla's total deliveries in 2021.