The Tesla Design Center will start construction in Beijing this year to start a talent war with Xiaomi

The Tesla China Design Center, which has been preparing for nearly two years, will usher in the construction of construction this year.

According to the notice of the "List of Key Tasks in the 2022 Municipal Government Work Report" issued by the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the Tesla Design Center will start construction in Beijing this year together with projects such as the Xiaomi Automobile Manufacturing Plant.

Musk has said that Tesla will design a "Chinese-style" electric car for the global market in China.

Last year, Tesla has issued a "hero post" on the official WeChat, recruiting nearly 100 R&D and design positions, including the chief designer. Given the fierce competition in the market, Tesla needs to launch a diversified product line in China that is more suitable for Chinese consumers.

The first financial reporter learned from the relevant headhunting company that Tesla's job competition is quite fierce. "Salary is only one factor, and many job seekers pay more attention to Tesla's brand effect." A person in charge of the headhunting company Hudson told the first financial reporter.

Tesla's Beijing Design Center will be another investment after Tesla's establishment of a Chinese R&D center in Shanghai. Tesla's R&D center, located in Lingang, Shanghai, was put into use at the end of last year. In the future, Tesla's R&D design will be a north-south layout.

Tesla said it will design, develop and produce new models and energy products with Chinese cultural elements in China, and export them to the world.

At present, Tesla has only four main models on sale, namely Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y, and if it launches an electric vehicle designed and manufactured by China in the future, it is expected to enrich its product line and further reduce the production cost of electric vehicles.

However, Tesla made it clear at the latest earnings conference that it will not release any new models this year. This also means that for the "Chinese style" Tesla to really be introduced to the market, it will take at least a year or two.

Tesla's initiative to increase China's local design and research and development strength is also to better compete in the Chinese market. Although Tesla currently has a leading market share in China, Chinese automakers are also picking up the pace.

According to research firm LMC Automotive, the Hongguang Mini EV, a small car produced by SAIC-GM-Wuling, which costs $4,400, topped the list last year in China in sales and ranked second in the world. According to the agency Bernstein, there are nearly 100 homegrown electric vehicle manufacturers in China, while in the United States, the number is around 10.

In addition, Xiaomi has also announced plans to build cars. Xiaomi's car design team in Beijing will start a talent war with Tesla. According to Xiaomi, the Xiaomi auto team has built a team of about 300 people, the first phase of the auto project investment of 10 billion yuan, is expected to invest 10 billion US dollars in the next 10 years, Xiaomi's first electric vehicle is expected to be mass production in 2024.