Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is in China for the last few days. He met government officials on the first day and later on with his industry peers (visit highlights).
But his ultimate destination in China is, of course, Gigafactory Shanghai. Giga Shanghai is the most productive Tesla factory in the world today. It pumps out Tesla Model 3 and Model Y cars faster than a Tesla Model S Plaid’s 0-60 mph time. In Sep 2022, Giga Shanghai produced 80,000 Teslas, which equals to around 2 cars coming off the assembly line every minute.
So, Elon Musk received an overwhelmingly warm welcome from the Chinese government, people, other CEOs, and especially Giga Shanghai workers.
As Musk was going through his busy schedule in China, Bloomberg reported that the automaker plans to showcase the Project Highland Model 3 refresh.
But according to ShanghaiEye, a Shanghai local news outlet, Elon Musk has wrapped up his visit to China. The tracking information of Musk’s private jet also tells us that he left Shanghai (Update: Elon Musk has already reached Austin, Texas this morning).
Elon Musk’s departure from Giga Shanghai without unveiling the revamped Tesla Model 3 has brought these rumors to an end. Perhaps, these rumors were just a wild guess, Musk did not have any plans to reveal the new Model 3 in China.
However, the automaker plans to start production of the updated Tesla Model 3 as soon as the production lines are upgraded at Giga Shanghai.
Musk talked to a charged Giga Shanghai workforce last night (video below). He expressed his liking for the Giga Shanghai workforce and even threw a heart emoji with his hands toward the Tesla China employees.
Here’s what he said in his latest Giga Shanghai address to employees:
Thank you for being here late at night. I would like to just very much congratulate you on the amazing work that you have done. It’s been incredibly impressive how you have been able to overcome so many difficulties and so many challenges.
And I just want to let you know, it’s like this [heartwarming hand gesture]. It warms my heart you know.
And I tell people throughout the world, the cars we’ve produced here are not just the most efficient production but also the highest quality.
I just feel like there’s so much that gets accomplished, there’s so much positive energy for getting things done that actually I think will be very important, not just for Tesla but also for the world.
Elon Musk at Giga Shanghai, 31st May 2023
Highlights from Elon Musk’s visit to China
Elon Musk met with CATL CEO Robin Zeng on 30th May. CATL is one of Tesla’s battery suppliers that provides the automaker with LFP batteries. Both CEOs had dinner at Hua Fu Hui restaurant at the Royal Park Hotel in Beijing.
The interesting thing on the dinner table was the custom-designed menu dedicated to Elon Musk and Tesla. On the outside TESLA was written in its official font with a sketch of two horses. The inside of the menu explained everything as follows:
Horse-Extraordinary. The horse is known for its agile and swift nature in both Chinese and Western cultures. Since its inception, Tesla has emerged as a dark horse, standing out from traditional automotive companies and making remarkable achievements. The phrase “马到成功” (ma dao chenggong) in Chinese culture, associated with success, serves as a wish for Tesla’s successful journey on the path of going electric, driven by dreams and traversing great distances (The English initial “E” in “Extraordinary” and the Chinese character “马” (ma) also correspond to Elon Musk’s initials in both Chinese and English.
Hua Fu Hui at Royal Park Hotel, Beijing China, 30th May 2023.
Apparently, Elon Musk’s Chinese visit has been considered a success by the Wall Street. Tesla shares have risen to $207.40 as of this writing on June 01, 2023 (1:57 pm EST). TSLA shares have gained a 20% increase in the last 5 business days.
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