Tesla has officially announced the construction of its latest Gigafactory in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The announcement, made at Tesla’s Investor Day, follows months of speculation about the automaker’s plans to build a new factory in the country. Mexico’s President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, confirmed the plans earlier this week.
The new factory will be called Gigafactory Mexico, and Tesla has released a render of the facility. Details about the factory are scarce, but Tesla has said that it will be used to produce vehicles based on the automaker’s new vehicle platform.
It’s not yet clear when the factory will be completed, but the project has reportedly had a quick regulatory process and road to construction and production thanks to negotiations with the government.
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Tesla is hoping to replicate the success of its other Gigafactories in Shanghai and Texas, which were brought to production relatively quickly. Monterrey was chosen as the site for Gigafactory Mexico because of its proximity to Gigafactory Texas and Tesla’s headquarters, which is a seven-hour drive away from the new plant.
Tesla has also struck a deal with the state of Nuevo León to have its own lane at the border crossing between Texas and Mexico, which will allow for more efficient travel between the sites.
While the details of the new factory are yet to be revealed, the announcement is a significant step forward for Tesla as it continues to expand its production capabilities and bring its electric vehicles to new markets around the world.
